Significant increase in fires due to improper disposal of smoking materials

By: Michael Yoshida, WDAZ Officials with the Grand Forks Fire Department say they’ve seen a significant increase in fires caused by careless use of smoking materials. A deck fire on Monday was the latest, and in the last year there have been about ten accidental fires, one resulting in death. These fires can cause damages […]

Letter: Tobacco tax is working

By:  Gina Johnson, Red Wing In July 2013, a new law went into effect raising our state tobacco tax by $1.60, causing the average price of cigarettes to raise to $7.50 a pack. Many people were concerned about how tobacco users who have limited income would manage. As a public health professional, I am pleased to […]

Letter of the Day (Aug. 13): Electronic cigarettes

An article last month (“Up in vapor,” July 13) described research related to electronic cigarettes and smoking cessation. As one who conducts research related to electronic cigarettes, I feel compelled to provide additional findings. First, the Italian researchers cited in the article also conducted an experiment with smokers by randomly assigning them into using electronic […]

Secondhand Smoke, Asthma Link Remains

By Cole Petrochko, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Children with asthma were more likely to be exposed to secondhand smoke than those without the disease, researchers found. From 1999 to 2010, the overall rate of exposure to secondhand smoke among children without asthma declined from 57.3% to 44.2%, but the exposure rate remained nearly constant over the […]

Study Says Smoking Bans Don't Hurt Bars, Restaurants

A new study suggests a statewide law banning smoking in public places would not harm the restaurant and bar industry and the people who work in it. The study has been done in North Carolina, the nation’s leading state for tobacco production. It is the home of major tobacco companies including the nation’s largest one, […]