Triple tobacco taxes? Researchers say yes to save 200M lives

By Cheryl K. Chumley – The Washington Times
Tripling tobacco taxes would save 200 million smokers around the world from premature deaths over the course of the next century, researchers say.
That’s because the higher costs would make it nearly impossible for many to afford the habit and at the same time serve as a deterrent to youth from taking their first puffs, scientists said, AOL Money reported.
The scientists said they reviewed 63 different studies about the causes and effects of tobacco smoking around the world — and discovered a link between lower smoking statistics and higher priced product. Raising the price of cigarettes by 50 percent lowers the rate of smoking by about a fifth, the scientists found.
So now study authors suggest that prices of tobacco should be raised significantly, by boosting taxes of the product by three times the present amount.
“The two certainties in life are death and taxes,” said study co-author Professor Sir Richard Peto, from the nonprofit Cancer Research UK, in the AOL Money report. “We want higher tobacco taxes and fewer tobacco deaths. It would help children not to start, and it would help many adults to stop while there’s still time.”
They estimate the death rate could be cut by almost half if the tax rate increase is accepted.
“Globally, about half of all young men and one in 10 of all young women become smokers and, particularly in developing countries, relatively few quit,” Mr. Peto said, in AOL Money. “If they keep smoking, about half will be killed by it. But if they stop before 40, they’ll reduce their risk of dying form tobacco by 90 percent.”
The researchers say that in the European Union alone, 100,000 lives per year of those under the age of 70 could be saved by doubling the cost of cigarettes.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jan/2/triple-tobacco-taxes-researchers-say-save-lives/

Trebling [tripling] tobacco tax 'could prevent 200 million early deaths'

By: Kate Kelland, Reuters
LONDON (Reuters) – Trebling [tripling] tobacco tax globally would cut smoking by a third and prevent 200 million premature deaths this century from lung cancer and other diseases, researchers said on Wednesday.
In a review in the New England Journal of Medicine, scientists from the charity Cancer Research UK (CRUK) said hiking taxes by a large amount per cigarette would encourage people to quit smoking altogether rather than switch to cheaper brands, and help stop young people from taking up the habit.
As well as causing lung cancer, which is often fatal, smoking is the largest cause of premature death from chronic conditions like heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure.
Tobacco kills around 6 million people a year now, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), and that toll is expected to rise above 8 million a year by 2030 if nothing is done to curb smoking rates.
Richard Peto, an epidemiologist at CRUK who led the study, said aggressively increasing tobacco taxes would be especially effective in poorer and middle-income countries where the cheapest cigarettes are relatively affordable.
Of the 1.3 billion people around the world who smoke, most live in poorer countries where often governments have also not yet introduced smoke-free legislation.
But increasing tobacco tax would also be effective in richer countries, Peto said, citing evidence from France, which he said halved cigarette consumption from 1990 to 2005 by raising taxes well above inflation.
“The two certainties in life are death and taxes. We want higher tobacco taxes and fewer tobacco deaths,” he said in a statement. “It would help children not to start, and it would help many adults to stop while there’s still time.”
While smokers lose at least 10 years of life, quitting before age 40 avoids more than 90 percent of the increased health risk run by people who continue smoking. Stopping before age 30 avoids more than 97 percent of the risk.
Governments around the world have agreed to prioritize reducing premature deaths from cancer and other chronic diseases in the United Nations General Assembly and in the WHO’s World Health Assembly in 2013. They also agreed to a target of reducing smoking by a third by 2025.
The CRUK analysis found that doubling the price of cigarettes in the next decade through increased taxes would cut worldwide consumption by about a third by that target, and at the same time increase annual government revenues from tobacco by a third from around $300 billion to $400 billion.
This extra income, the researchers suggested, could be spent on boosting health care budgets.
Peto noted that the international tobacco industry makes about $50 billion in profits each year, saying this equated to “approximately $10,000 per death from smoking”.
“Worldwide, around half a billion children and adults under the age of 35 are already – or soon will be – smokers, and many will be hooked on tobacco for life. So there’s an urgent need for governments to find ways to stop people starting and to help smokers give up,” said Harpal Kumar, CRUK’s chief executive.
He said the study, which examined 63 research papers on the causes and consequences of tobacco use in many different countries, showed tobacco taxes are “a hugely powerful lever”.
They are also potentially a triple win, Kumar said, cutting the number of people who smoke and die from their addiction, reducing the health care burden and costs linked to smoking and at the same time increasing government income.
(Reporting by Kate Kelland; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/281348/

Arizona fire officials see increased fire danger with e-cigarettes

Lauren Gilger, ABC15.com
PHOENIX – As electronic cigarettes grow in popularity, so do the number of fires they start. Phoenix Fire Department officials say they’ve noticed the increase and want families to know about the potential danger.
AN ARIZONA COUPLE’S LOSS
“I got to the bedroom door and it was just a huge fire,” Vicki Orman said, remembering the fire that burned down much of her Phoenix home in October.
“I was traumatized,” she said. “You see your belongings, your home on fire. It’s terrible.”
Vicki and her husband, Dale, lived in that house for 18 years, they said. But it all changed one day after Vicki plugged in her electronic cigarette and left it charging.
“The fire was confined to the master bedroom, but the rest of the house had quite a bit of smoke and water damage,” Dale explained.
In all, the damage was estimated to be more than $100,000, according to fire records.
Fire officials say the cartridge of the e-cigarette overheated while it was plugged into the charger, sparking the fire.
Vicki said she heard the smoke detector and found the fire in their bedroom.
After the fire, Vicki was in shock.
“I didn’t know what to do,” Vicki said, “What do you do? Where am I going to go? What about my animals?”
She and her three dogs made it out safely, but Dale suffered smoke inhalation and spent three days in the hospital, he said.
FIRE OFFICIALS SEE A PATTERN
“These things are causing fires,” said Phoenix Fire Department Captain and Arson Investigator Gary Hernandez.
He responded to the fire at the Orman’s house, but this wasn’t the first e-cigarette-related fire he’s seen.
“They had plugged this in, in the charger, put in on top of the bed, they left,” he said. “That’s a very dangerous thing.”
Electronic cigarettes use a battery to heat up the steam users inhale to get the nicotine and various flavors.
Vicki says she used the name brand Smokin’ T. They’re re-usable.
Sister station ABC15 contacted the manufacturer of Smokin’ T e-cigarettes, Smokin’ Time, but they didn’t respond to numerous messages.
“I’m not sure why it’s happening and why they’re malfunctioning,” Hernandez said. “But, I think you can be keenly aware that these can malfunction and these can cause a fire.”
There have been several report of e-cigarette-related fires involving various name brands across the country, including at least four in the Phoenix area.
“I’M ANGRY”
“They shouldn’t explode,” Dale said. He said he looked at the instructions that came with the e-cigarette and didn’t see any warning against leaving it to charge for a specific amount of time.
It’s been two months since the fire and the Ormans and their dogs are still living in a hotel room.
“I’m angry that they put out a product that is so dangerous,” Vicki said. “I am angry that I lost some personal property that I can no longer replace…I am angry at myself that I didn’t know better.”
She says she would like to see the manufacturer stop selling this product until they’ve figured out why this happened.
“There’s obviously something wrong,” she said, “We are not the only ones that this has happened to.”
Vicki said she and her husband are considering a lawsuit against the company that makes the e-cigarette that started their fire.
CHECK YOUR SMOKE ALARM
Fire officials say there was one thing that saved the Ormans that day: their smoke detector.
It’s easy to forget, so make sure you check your smoke detector to make sure it’s working.
The FDA is in the process of compiling regulations to oversee electronic cigarettes.
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/u-s-world/arizona-fire-officials-see-increased-fire-danger-with-e-cigarettes

Be it resolved to quit ….

By KAREN HERZOG, Bismarck Tribune
It’s safe to say that “lose weight” and “quit smoking” are at the top of many a New Year’s resolution list. And they, sadly, top the failure list every year as well.
Not that it’s a contest, but some say weight loss is harder, because people can’t just “quit” eating. Others say quitting cigarettes is harder because it’s so physically addictive.
Either way, when you hear people say, about giving up unhealthy physical or mental habits, “I could never …” they truly believe it.
“Never” is not literally true, of course. If somebody were stranded on the South Pole without smokes or sweets, they would give them up. They’d have to. Or if somebody put a gun to their head and said, “eat that doughnut or smoke that cigarette, and I’ll shoot,” I’ll bet they could stop.
People can do it. They just really, really don’t want to.
Resolutions fail oftentimes because people are aiming at the wrong target — they fixate on the end product instead of resolving to follow a process. Because imagining the daily slog required for success is so less enjoyable than hazy fantasizing about the prize.
“Quit smoking” is tough, no doubt about it.
The idea that they can’t ever smoke another cigarette empowers some people and terrifies others.
That’s because there are cold turkey people and baby steps people.
Cold turkey people tend to be dramatic and competitive. These folks are the ones who will make the operatic gesture of ceremonially tossing out their last pack. This signals to the world that the gauntlet has been thrown. They have challenged the cigarette lover within them. Since they hate to lose, the next weeks will be a bloody spectacle. These are black-and-white folks — they will never have another cigarette or lapse back to two packs a day.
Baby steps people prefer stealth. They don’t appreciate commentary from the peanut gallery. It makes them uneasy to have others watch them sweat and struggle. They want to grind through the process alone to emerge one day quietly smoke-free.
Baby steps people can accept shades of gray, admitting that backsliding a few times will be part of the process.
But they persist, gradually narrowing their window for smoking — first the house is off-limits, then the car, then certain times of day. They sneak quietly away from cigarettes like a mom tiptoeing away from a baby who has finally fallen asleep.
Whichever type you are, one realization can boost your chance of success.
“Self-talk” matters.
When you’re already struggling to do something hard, coming down even harder on yourself when you falter or fail doesn’t necessary spur you on to greater commitment — it just adds another level of frustration and disappointment to carry. Then the temptation arises to just chuck it all and give up.
Instead of flogging yourself for setbacks, turn a 180 and praise yourself for making the effort. Applaud your spirit.
Despite your own resistance and those who want to sabotage your process, you have an intimate friend who supports your will to live healthier.
It’s yourself.
(Karen Herzog feels your pain. She had her last cigarette 39 years ago and still sometimes feels nostalgic for them.)
(Reach Karen Herzog at kherzogcolumn@gmail.com.)
http://bismarcktribune.com/news/columnists/karen-herzog/be-it-resolved-to-quit/article_de7c7e1e-717f-11e3-baf9-0019bb2963f4.html

Oregon cigarette tax goes up Jan. 1

Written by Peter Wong

Oregon’s cigarette tax will go up Jan. 1.
The actual tax is applied on individual cigarettes. The tax will go up from $1.18 to $1.31 on a standard pack of 20 cigarettes. It will be the first increase since 2004, when it actually dropped from $1.28 to $1.18 as the result of voter rejection of a ballot measure for a budget-balancing tax increase. It had been at $1.28 for a decade, but a 10-cent increment had to be renewed every two years, and expired in 2004.
Proceeds from cigarette taxes go to the Oregon Health Plan, the state general fund, and a special account for tobacco-use reduction. There are earmarked shares for cities, counties, special transportation for older people and people with disabilities, and now, mental health programs. Lawmakers added the latter category in a special session this year.
“Ordinarily, the consumer pays the tax as a part of the price when purchasing cigarettes from an Oregon retailer. Consumers must remember that they are responsible for filing and paying the tax on cigarettes purchased on-line or otherwise brought in from outside the state,” said Chris Wytoski, manager of Oregon’s tobacco tax program in the Department of Revenue.
There is also a $1.01 federal tax.
pwong@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6745 or twitter.com/capitolwong 
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20131226/UPDATE/131226021/Oregon-cigarette-tax-goes-up-Jan-1

City leaders regulate e-cigarettes

By: WDAY Staff Reports , WDAY
Fargo, ND (WDAY TV) – City leaders have decided to include E-cigs in the Fargo tobacco ordinance.
That means it will be illegal to give or sell electronic cigarettes to minors.
The electronic smoking devices claim to be a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes because they give off a vapor instead of smoke.
State law does prohibit smoking in any public places, which includes e-cigarettes.
http://www.wday.com/event/article/id/91782/publisher_ID/29/

States spend 2% of tobacco settlement money on cessation

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (UPI) — Fifteen years after the $246 billion tobacco legal settlements were reached most states are not spending much on tobacco cessation, U.S. researchers say.
Tobacco use is the top cause of preventable U.S. death, killing more than 400,000 Americans and costing the nation $96 billion in healthcare bills each year and most states involved in the settlements promised a significant portion of the money would be spent on programs to prevent children and teens from smoking and help smokers quit.
The report, entitled “Broken Promises to Our Children: The 1998 State Tobacco Settlement 15 Years Later,” was released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Lung Association, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights said the states lied.
Over the past 15 years, the states received $391 billion in tobacco-generated revenue — $116.3 billion from the tobacco settlement and $274.5 billion from tobacco taxes. However, they spent only 2.3 percent of their tobacco money, or $8.9 billion, on tobacco prevention programs, the report said.
For fiscal year 2014, the states will collect $25 billion in tobacco revenues, but will spend only 1.9 percent of it — or $481.2 million — on tobacco prevention programs. This year’s funding is a slight increase from a year ago, but it fails to restore deep cuts that have reduced tobacco prevention funding by a third since 2008.
The states currently provide just 13 percent of the tobacco prevention funding recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with only North Dakota and Alaska funding tobacco prevention programs at the CDC-recommended level.
Only four other states — Delaware, Wyoming, Hawaii and Oklahoma — provide even half the recommended funding.
http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2013/12/19/States-spend-2-of-tobacco-settlement-money-on-cessation/UPI-73441387435282/#ixzz2nxbwftkL

‘Vaping’ Santa Billboard Causes Backlash

By Gillian Mohney

ht vaping santa kb 131218 16x9 608 Vaping Santa Billboard Causes Backlash
E-cigarette company draws controversy after using “vaping” Santa in billboard. (VaporShark/Facebook)

This might put Santa on the naughty list.
The e-cigarette company Vapor-Shark is facing backlash after putting up a billboard of a “vaping” Santa Claus in Florida. The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids complained the ad was similar to old cigarette ads aimed at children and called it ” a new low.”
Even e-cigarettes fans said the ad was inappropriate.
“Showing Santa vaping, globally recognized as a children’s icon, is irresponsible and is and will be seen as a ploy to appeal to under age customers,” said Aaron Frazier, a self-described “vapor,” on the company’s Facebook Page. 
“We disagree … it’s a difference of opinion” said Vapor Shark CEO Brandon Liedel of their dissenters. “The only type of kid that would be persuaded by Santa Claus is a 5-year-old. I think a gorgeous woman would be more persuasive for a teenager.”
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2013/12/18/vaping-santa-billboard-causes-backlash/

Tobacco down among youths; marijuana up

By Cheryl Wetzstein – The Washington Times
More and more younger Americans are snuffing out their cigarettes — at least those filled with tobacco, a new national survey suggests.
The number of 8th, 10th and 12th graders who said they smoked tobacco cigarettes in the last 30 days fell again — to fewer than one in 10 adolescents — in 2013, according to Monitoring the Future (MTF), an annual survey of more than 40,000 students.
Since most smokers begin tobacco habits at a young age, the new data are being welcomed by public health officials, as it shows a long-term trend away from smoking.
Since the peak year of 1997, “the proportion of students currently smoking has dropped by two-thirds — an extremely important development for the health and longevity of this generation of Americans,” said Lloyd Johnston, principal investigator of the MTF and a research professor at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research.
The MTF results on young-adult marijuana use, however, were more troubling, researchers said.
More teens in all grades took a sanguine view of marijuana — 60 percent of high-school seniors said smoking pot was not harmful.
At the same time, the MTF showed that more students were smoking marijuana: For eighth graders, use of marijuana in the past month rose from 5.8 percent in 2008 to 7 percent in 2013. For 10th graders, past-month usage was up from 13.8 percent to 18 percent, and for 12th graders, it rose 19.4 percent to 22.7 percent.
Seeing more 13- and 14-year-olds using marijuana is a significant cause for alarm, said Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Young teens, whose experimentation with marijuana leads to regular use, “are setting themselves up for declines in IQ and diminished ability for success in life,” said Dr. Volkow, adding that marijuana use can interfere with memory and cognitive functionality.
Marijuana is not a benign substance, added Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. He and Dr. Volkow highlighted MTF findings that, in states where marijuana can be prescribed as a medicinal product, a third of the marijuana-smoking 12th graders said one of the ways they got the product was through “someone else’s” prescription.
Marijuana, which can act as a stimulant, depressant or hallucinogen in humans, remains illegal under federal law. However, 20 states and the District permit marijuana use for medicinal purposes — such as reducing nausea and pain related to cancer treatments — and Colorado and Washington state have legalized the production, sale and use of recreational marijuana. Groups like the Marijuana Policy Project want to see marijuana products regulated like tobacco and alcohol products.
In August, the Justice Department said it would not target the marijuana industry in states where it is legal as long as states keep pot away from children, other states, criminal cartels and federal property.
Dr. Volkow said Wednesday her agency would be also be watching emergency-room admissions, traffic accidents and school-performance statistics to see if they are affected by more liberal marijuana laws.
In other highlights of the MTF:
• Fewer teens said they used synthetic marijuana products, known by such names as K2 and Spice. Public officials have raised alarms about the dangers associated with these cheap, new drugs.
• Current alcohol use fell in all grades — to 10.2 percent among eighth graders, 25.7 percent in 10th graders and 39.2 percent in 12th graders.
• Non-medical use of prescription drugs, like Vicodin and OxyContin, dropped again.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/dec/18/tobacco-down-among-youths-marijuana-up/#ixzz2nw9i3fhm
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U.S. Cancer Death Rates Continue to Decline: Report

WebMD News from HealthDay
By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay Reporter
Cancer death rates continue to decline in the United States, mainly because anti-smoking efforts have caused a drop in lung cancer deaths, researchers report.
From 2001 through 2010, death rates for all cancers combined decreased by 1.8 percent a year among men and by 1.4 percent a year among women, according to a joint report from four of the nation’s top cancer institutions, published Dec. 16 in the journal Cancer.
“The four major cancers — lung, colorectal, breast and prostate — represent over two-thirds of the decline,” said study author Brenda Edwards, a senior advisor for cancer surveillance at the U.S. National Cancer Institute.
The report also found that one-third of cancer patients over 65 have other health conditions that can lower their chances of survival. Diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), congestive heart failure and cerebrovascular disease, which impedes blood flow to the brain, are the most common ailments that complicate cancer treatment and survival odds, the researchers said.

“It’s good to see a report of this prominence focus on this,” said Dr. Tomasz Beer, deputy director of the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University. “The general health of patients is important, and it impacts on cancer outcomes.”

The report produced by the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries.
Researchers found that lung cancer death rates for men fell by 2.9 percent a year between 2005 and 2010, a much faster rate than the 1.9 percent-per-year decline during the period 1993 to 2005.
For women, rates declined 1.4 percent annually from 2004 to 2010, which was a turnaround from an increase of 0.3 percent a year during the period 1995 to 2004.
The researchers attributed these overall decreases to the decline in cigarette smoking in the United States. Since lung cancer accounts for more than one in four cancer deaths, these declines are fueling the overall reduction in cancer deaths.
Beer said new targeted therapies for lung cancer have also helped improve survival chances. He expects lung cancer death rates to fall even further with the advent of new standards for lung cancer screening using low-dose CT scans.
“I was particularly struck by the overall decline in cancer death rates,” Beer said of the study. “It’s modest but real, and the fact that it’s annual is encouraging in the sense that even though these gains are modest, they compound over time.”
Death rates among men decreased for 11 of the 17 most common cancers, increasing only for melanoma, soft tissue cancers and cancers of the pancreas and liver. Death rates among women decreased for 15 of the 18 most common cancers, increasing for cancers of the uterus, pancreas and liver.
Researchers compared National Cancer Institute data with Medicare claims data to investigate other health problems that can complicate cancer treatment and survival.
Diabetes and its associated complications is the most common health problem affecting cancer patients. It was found in 16 percent of people older than 65 diagnosed with cancer between 1992 and 2005, the researchers said.
“There are a number of issues with diabetes,” Beer said. “Some data even suggests insulin can accelerate the growth of cancer.” (Many diabetics take insulin, a hormone needed to turn food into fuel for the body).
Patients with diabetes also have to struggle with the effect that cancer medications can have on their blood sugar, Beer added. They may end up receiving a lower dosage or stopping a treatment regimen early because of the conflict between their diabetes control and their cancer therapy.
COPD affects more than 15 percent of older cancer patients, while congestiveheart failure affects about 10 percent of patients. About 6 percent are affected by cerebrovascular disease, which can include stroke and aneurysms.

Lung and colorectal cancer patients tended to have other health problems more often than people with other cancers. People with breast and prostate cancers tended to have other health problems at the same rate as people without any cancer.
“The general strength and wellness of patients makes a huge difference in cancer outcomes,” Beer said. “People who are capable of going on a hike, jogging, running and eating healthy do a heck of a lot better than people who are sedentary and in poor physical condition.”

http://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20131216/us-cancer-death-rates-continue-to-decline-report