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Camels: 100 years and still killing

By Robert N. Proctor
We’re quietly approaching the 100th anniversary of the modern cigarette, but don’t expect much in the way of fanfare. Cigarette sales have been falling since 1981, when 630 billion were smoked in the United States. Now we smoke only about 300 billion in any given year, mostly in the style of the “American blend” introduced by Camels.
Camels were first sold in October 1913. Only 1 million were sold that first year, but this quickly grew to 425 million in 1914 and to 6.5 billion two years later. Twenty-one billion were sold in 1919, and by the early 1920s, nearly half of all cigarettes sold in the U.S. were Camels.
And though other “standard brands” were soon introduced — Chesterfields, Lucky Strikes and Old Golds — Camels still had a 30 percent share of the cigarette market in the late 1940s. By its 65th anniversary in 1978, the brand had sold more than 3 trillion sticks. Camel still holds the record for the most cigarettes sold in a single year: 105 billion in 1952.
The success of the brand is traceable partly to marketing genius. N.W. Ayer & Son was the agency hired to handle the launch, which began with a teaser campaign. Newspapers nationwide announced “the Camels are coming,” with no hint that the blitz was for a new brand of cigarettes. (Reynolds had not even sold cigarettes before 1912.) One ad crowed that “Tomorrow there’ll be more CAMELS in this town than in all Asia and Africa combined!”
The cigarettes came in a new kind of packaging. Camels were the first cigarette sold in that boxy “cup” we now identify as a cigarette pack, with 20 cigarettes per. Camels were also the first smoke to be sold in cartons of 200, and the first sold coast to coast. And (crucially) the first to incorporate what came to be known as “the American blend,” a juiced-up concoction of flue-cured and burley tobacco leaf that was both mild enough to be inhaled and sweet from sugars added to the mix.
A lot has changed since then. The machines that produced those early Camels could manage only seven or eight per second; today’s machines spit out 20,000 sticks per minute, or about 330 per second. And cigarettes today are far more affordable, even with all those taxes going to governments (“the second addiction”). Cigarettes used to be a luxury smoked by dandies and the effete; now they are more likely to be smoked by the mentally ill and destitute.
Some things, though, haven’t changed. Cigarettes still kill about half their long-term users, despite industry bluster about filters, low tars and lights, none of which has made smoking safer. Cigarettes still contain arsenic and cyanide and radioactive polonium-210, the poison used to kill that Russian spy in London a few years back. Cigarettes cause one death for every million smoked, which means that the 4 trillion Camels consumed over the last 100 years have probably caused about 4 million deaths.
And it would be wrong to think of the cigarette business as moribund. Shareholders of the three largest makers in the U.S. all earn dividends in excess of 4 percent, and those holding stock in Altria (parent company of Philip Morris) earn closer to 6 percent.
Youth is still key to the business because most smokers start in their teens and stay fiercely brand loyal. Joe Camel was retired in 1997, but until 2009 (when Congress passed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act), Camels came in candy-fruit-tropical flavors, including Camel Mandarin Mint and Camel Mandalay Lime. Camel No. 9s, advertised as “light and luscious” and sold in feminine black and pink packs, are still allowed on the market, despite fears that this “Barbie cigarette” targets girls. And Camel Crush offers a hit of mint to those who like menthol “refreshment.” Advertising for such products has increased in recent months, and on my last trip to the dentist, I found four different ads for cigarettes in magazines in the waiting room.
Camel’s anniversary is really only being celebrated overseas, where cigarettes sales remain robust. Worldwide, 6 trillion cigarettes (of all brands) were sold in 2012, which explains why smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death. JTI, the company that owns rights to the Camel brand abroad, is celebrating with a giant “iPad controlled video jukebox” in the shape of a camel, with slogans such as “Discover more” and “Inspiring creativity since 1913.” Most Europeans can buy packs celebrating the anniversary, and Mexico City has held brand-themed events. All of which helps keep Camels among the five bestselling brands in the world.
Here in the birthplace of Camels, though, things are quieter. The cigarette is something of a cardiopulmonary anachronism, and not much to party about. Camel’s success has been literally breathtaking, caravaning millions into that sleep from which we never awake.
Robert N. Proctor is a professor of the history of science at Stanford University. He wrote this for the LA Times.
http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_24381870/camels-100-years-and-still-killing
 

Flavored cigarette use increasing

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn (KFGO AM) — A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found four out of ten teen smokers prefer flavored little cigars or flavored cigarettes.
Bob Moffitt is with the American Lung Association of Minnesota and says the data also shows kids using the flavored products are less likely to think about quitting than those who smoke traditional cigarettes.
Moffitt says these products are also appealing to teens because they are cheaper and taxed differently.
Moffitt would like to see Minnesota lawmakers draft legislation that would close some of the tax loopholes involving flavored tobacco products.
http://kfgo.com/news/articles/2013/oct/24/flavored-cigarette-use-increasing/

Study finds cigarette alternatives may not be safer than cigarettes

UC Davis Researchers Examine E-Cigarettes, Cigars, Hookah
Written By CATHERINE MAYO

If you’ve ever been convinced to smoke hookah — or anything else for that matter  — because someone told you it was completely safe, you aren’t alone (but you’ve been lied to).

Are smoking alternatives as safe as people think? UC Davis pulmonary physicians recently published a study concluding these replacements can be addictive gateways to cigarette smoking. The assessment — which focused on cigars, hookah, e-cigarettes and a Swedish smokeless tobacco called snus — provides new insight on why people trying to quit smoking (and those who haven’t started) should avoid all types of tobacco products.

“Everything I included … in some way or another has become popular in America or worldwide… [These products] are the most commonly used, and because [of this], there is a misperception about them,” said Michael Schivo, assistant professor of internal medicine at UC Davis Health System and lead author of the study.

The research team found that because of a lack of regulation and research, e-cigarettes show unclear risks. From 2011-12, e-cigarette use among students in grades six to 12 doubled. Many people trying to quit smoking view e-cigarettes as a safe way to wean themselves off nicotine, but according to the study, Schivo recommended smokeless tobacco before e-cigarettes to better avoid lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. Moreover, for non-smokers trying something new, the nicotine can be dangerously addicting.

Smoking hookah, a technique that employs a special form of tobacco called shisha smoked out of a water pipe, is growing in popularity among college-aged adults and is commonly perceived as a harmless recreational activity, was discovered to be significantly worse than cigarettes. Waterpipe use leads to deeper and longer inhalation of tobacco smoke than other forms of smoking. In fact, the Mayo Clinic says a typical one-hour-long hookah session consists of 200 puffs compared to the cigarette’s average of 20 puffs. Nicotine levels are reduced in waterpipe smoking, but the amounts of arsenic, chromium and lead — chemicals known to be carcinogens — are all significantly higher.

While this information may come as a shock to some, many others know it and choose to ignore it as best they can.

“I’m sure that almost everyone who smokes … has been told countless times that they should stop. It’s not that they don’t know the risks, it’s just a tough habit to quit,” said Brad Howard, a second-year civil engineering major.

The study arrives in the final months of UC Davis’ tolerance for smoking. Beginning in January 2014, the UC Davis Smoke-Free policy takes full effect. The campus will no longer tolerate any forms of smoking, including e-cigarettes and hookah.

Krystal Wong, a second-year human development major and intern at the Student Health and Wellness Center, welcomes the addition of this new policy.

“Davis is trying to promote a healthier environment … Second-hand smoking can cause health hazards for many students,” Wong said.

Schivo is in support of the new rules.

“Public awareness is good however it’s employed,” he said.

Whether you are for or against the policy, we can at least now know not to believe anyone who tries to convince us smoking alternatives are safe. We only have evidence to prove the opposite. Take it as you will, live your life, be smart.

http://www.theaggie.org/2013/10/24/study-finds-cigarette-alternatives-may-not-be-safer-than-cigarettes/

Aldermen mixed on Emanuel cigarette tax hike

By John Byrne and Hal Dardick
Clout Street
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s proposed 75-cent-per-pack cigarette tax increase is getting mixed reviews from aldermen today.
The increase in the city’s cigarette tax is projected to bring in about $10 million. Some aldermen questioned that figure, however, saying the higher tax would result in more black-market and across-the-border sales.
Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd, said he supports efforts to discourage smoking but worries about the impact on retail stores.
“For the $10 million revenue gain we get from dramatically increasing that tax, my concern is that we’re going to be pushing that business to the suburban communities right across the border from Chicago, where tobacco addicts will be getting their fix. So we don’t want to inadvertantly punish Chicago retailers by trying to do something good on public health,” Reilly said. “So that is something I think we’re going to need to explore. In the greater scheme of a $340 million deficit, a $10 million revenue boost from the cigarette tax may not be worth the negative impact on business.”
Also raising questions about the wisdom of the cigarette tax, which opponents say will dampen retail sales and result in the illegal sale of loose cigarettes, was Ald. Carrie Austin, 34th, the City Council Budget Committee chairman.
“I just think it will hurt sales,” Austin said. “I want to see what 75 cents is going to cost. . . . . I don’t want to lose our revenue from cigarette sales to another state.”
Ald. Joe Moore, 49th, who has become a strong supporter of the mayor, said he’s glad the budget does not have an increase in property or sales taxes, a sentiment clearly shared by his colleagues.
He then went on to defend the cigarette tax, which is opposed by many of his colleagues and retail groups.
“The cigarette tax has the benefit of leading to a healthier Chicago,” Moore said. “It results in a healthier populace: less people are smoking, and less people need health care. So it’s a win-win for everybody.”
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s proposed 75-cent-per-pack cigarette tax increase is getting mixed reviews from aldermen today.
The increase in the city’s cigarette tax is projected to bring in about $10 million. Some aldermen questioned that figure, however, saying the higher tax would result in more black-market and across-the-border sales.
Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd, said he supports efforts to discourage smoking but worries about the impact on retail stores.
“For the $10 million revenue gain we get from dramatically increasing that tax, my concern is that we’re going to be pushing that business to the suburban communities right across the border from Chicago, where tobacco addicts will be getting their fix. So we don’t want to inadvertantly punish Chicago retailers by trying to do something good on public health,” Reilly said. “So that is something I think we’re going to need to explore. In the greater scheme of a $340 million deficit, a $10 million revenue boost from the cigarette tax may not be worth the negative impact on business.”
Also raising questions about the wisdom of the cigarette tax, which opponents say will dampen retail sales and result in the illegal sale of loose cigarettes, was Ald. Carrie Austin, 34th, the City Council Budget Committee chairman.
“I just think it will hurt sales,” Austin said. “I want to see what 75 cents is going to cost. . . . . I don’t want to lose our revenue from cigarette sales to another state.”
Ald. Joe Moore, 49th, who has become a strong supporter of the mayor, said he’s glad the budget does not have an increase in property or sales taxes, a sentiment clearly shared by his colleagues.
He then went on to defend the cigarette tax, which is opposed by many of his colleagues and retail groups.
“The cigarette tax has the benefit of leading to a healthier Chicago,” Moore said. “It results in a healthier populace: less people are smoking, and less people need health care. So it’s a win-win for everybody.”
Ald. Ameya Pawar, 47th, defended the cigarette tax and said people will need to consider how much money and time they use up to cross borders to get cigarettes.
“At some point, people are going to say, ‘If I really want to smoke, am I going to drive 40 miles and spend 4 bucks a gallon to get the cigarettes? Or do I buy ‘em here? Or, do I quit?” he said. “That coupled with the fact that we’re using a lot of the money to enroll kids in Medicaid that are Medicaid eligible, I think it’s a brilliant use of dollars.”
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/clout/chi-aldermen-mixed-on-emanuel-cigarette-tax-hike-20131023,0,1732047.story

Too many American teens are smoking 'little cigars,' report says

Melissa Dahl, NBC News
They look like cigarettes, and they’re just as harmful as cigarettes — but “little cigars” are much cheaper, and they come in flavors like chocolate or candy apple, which makes them very attractive to kids, experts say.
Now, for the first time, kids’ use of flavored little cigars has been tracked by U.S. researchers. About four in 10 smokers in middle school and high school say they use flavored little cigars, according to the new report, using data from the 2011 National Youth Tobacco Survey.
Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, called the new data “disturbing.”
“Flavored little cigars are basically a deception,” Frieden says. “They’re marketed like cigarettes, they look like cigarettes, but they’re not taxed or regulated like cigarettes. And they’re increasing the number of kids who smoke.”
A little cigar looks almost exactly like a cigarette: It’s the same size and shape, but instead of being wrapped in white paper, it’s wrapped in brown paper that contains some tobacco leaf. Many little cigars have a filter, like a cigarette, according to the American Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit that seeks to prevent teen smoking.

An illustration shows a regular cigarette next to a little cigar.

© American Legacy Foundation

“What makes a cigar a cigar is that it has some tobacco in the paper. Little cigars — there’s just enough tobacco in that paper to make them cigars,” says Erika Sward, assistant vice president for national advocacy at the American Lung Association. “They really are cigarettes in cigar clothing.”
Not that cigars are healthy. Little cigars – and large cigars and cigarillos (a longer, slimmer version of the classic large cigar) – contain the same harmful and addictive compounds as cigarettes. They can cause lung, oral, laryngeal and esophageal cancers and they increase the smoker’s risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The only upside of a cigar is the way they are usually smoked: Cigar smokers tend to take shallower puffs instead of deep inhales. But some research has shown people tend to smoke little cigars just like they’d smoke cigarettes, by inhaling deeply, which can exacerbate the tobacco’s health risks.

cigars & cigarillos

© American Legacy Foundation

But because little cigars are technically not cigarettes, they are taxed far less than cigarettes, making them that much more appealing to teenagers, because “kids are especially price-sensitive,” Sward says. A pack of little cigars can cost less than half as much as a pack of cigarettes, experts say.
“We know if they were cigarettes, what they’re doing now would be banned,” Frieden says. “If they were cigarettes, there would be a much greater awareness of their harm. But because they’re seen as somehow different, they’re getting another generation of kids hooked on tobacco.”
Overall, tobacco use among American kids declined significantly from 2000 to 2011. The same is true for the smoking rate in U.S. adults, which dropped 33 percent in that decade. But the consumption of non-cigarette tobacco products — like cigars or loose tobacco — increased 123 percent in that same time period, Sward says.
Little cigar sales in particular have increased dramatically, more than tripling since 1997, says Danny McGoldrick, vice president of research for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. And most of those little cigars are flavored, thus making them more attractive to kids.
“They’re really cheap, and they’re really sweet, and they have an obvious appeal to kids,” says McGoldrick. “They’re not your grandfather’s cigar.”
Appealing flavors like chocolate, cherry, strawberry or candy apple make it easier for people — especially kids — to start smoking by masking the harshness of tobacco, anti-tobacco advocates say. It’s the same concept behind those “alcopops” – flavored, sweet alcoholic beverages like wine coolers that experts argue are especially tempting to underage drinkers. And adolescence is a crucial time to prevent smoking before it starts, because about 90 percent of smokers start by the time they turn 18, national statistics show.
In 2009, Congress gave the U.S. Food and Drug Administration immediate jurisdiction over cigarettes, smokeless and roll-your-own tobacco. Currently, Sward explains, the FDA has submitted a proposal that would allow it to regulate all tobacco products. She says this current study highlights the urgent need for the FDA to be able to regulate all tobacco products, including little cigars.
“They’re deadly – just like cigarettes,” Frieden says. “It’s really important that we use all means at our disposal to protect the next generation from getting hooked on tobacco.”
http://www.nbcnews.com/health/too-many-american-teens-are-smoking-little-cigars-report-says-8C11433058

To quit smoking, he sketched a cigarette every time he wanted to light up

By Cara Pesek / World-Herald staff writer
On May 12, at 9:31 a.m., Brian Tait opened a small, homemade notebook and drew a small picture of a cigarette.
Normally at that time, he would have smoked a cigarette.
But Tait was trying to quit, as he had tried to do many times before. This time, he was serious. This time, he had a deadline — the impending birth of his daughter.
Three days later, Janie Wren was born.
In the following weeks and months, the 38-year-old artist and part-time stay-at-home dad drew cigarettes after meals, while paying bills, while taking a break from remodeling his home or painting. He drew them on shopping lists, envelopes, napkins and scraps of paper. He drew them any time he would normally smoke, and sometimes when he just needed to do something with his hands.
In this unconventional way, Tait quit smoking entirely. In the months since May 12, he estimates he’s drawn hundreds of cigarettes. He hasn’t smoked any.
Tait started smoking when he was 15, and he was quickly hooked. He was a skateboarder and street artist as a kid. He and his friends sought out “old guy stuff” — Pall Mall non-filters, Marlboro Reds.
“Branding and stuff got me pretty early,” Tait said.
Through his 20s and 30s, he continued to smoke. He worked as a professional sign painter (he’s painted the signs for the Boiler Room, Big Brain Tattoos and the Nomad Lounge, among others) and as an artist. Smoking was a break when he was stuck, a treat when he liked how things were going, a way to enjoy the weather when he was inside the studio on a nice day.
During that time, he also drank. He was a self-described wild guy, occasionally out of control.
But life changed. He started to date a woman who wanted a family. Tait, who has a 14-year-old daughter, wanted another child, too.
About a year and a half ago, he gave up drinking. He quit cold turkey, without even the assistance of pen and paper. He knew that cigarettes should come next. But no one who knew him knew him as a non-smoker, he said.
“I’ve always been personified as this working-class artist that chain smokes or drinks two pots of coffee a day, which is true,” he said.
He may have been a smoking artist, but he was an artist first. At the same time Tait was thinking of quitting smoking (and the same time the ever-nearing arrival of baby Janie was causing him to mull quitting more seriously), he was also wanting to refine his drawing skills, which after years of computer-aided work didn’t feel as sharp as they once did.
And with that, quitting smoking became an art project.
“Everything at some point is technical ability,” he said. “It’s the constant over and over that makes good people great.”
So he drew, and drew, and drew.
He drew unsmoked cigarettes, partially smoked cigarettes, packs of cigarettes. He drew them all the time — after meals, around the house, while waiting in line to apply for a building permit — and then less often, and then, not at all, though he still runs across the occasional scrap of paper with a cigarette sketch.
Laura Krajicek, who works with smoking cessation patients at Methodist Hospital, had never heard of anyone quitting cigarettes that way before.
She had heard of people quitting through prayer or chewing gum or wearing patches. She knew of people who smoked while driving who took to holding a pen instead of a cigarette while on the road.
“You can’t quit driving, so you have to find something else to do with your hand,” she said.
She heard from one woman who repainted the smoke-stained walls in every room in her house in an effort to remain smoke-free.
“I’ve got to say, I’ve never heard of drawing a cigarette, but good for him,” said Krajicek.
While Tait’s method was unconventional, Krajicek said it also had one key thing in common with other successful smoking cessation techniques — he found a way to fill the time normally spent smoking with something else.
Tait doesn’t need so much to fill the time anymore.
Baby Janie came, and Tait has been busy with her since. He also shares a studio space at 26th and Harney Streets with several other artists, including some younger ones whom he mentors. The giant space, which Tait refers to as “the shop,” includes a stage, homemade skateboarding ramp and various studios, and he’s converting part of the area into a gallery. He began work on a stay-at-home dad blog, and on a couple of other projects, too, and Tait found the time previously reserved for smoking filled with other duties.
Tait’s girlfriend, Jessica Brown, said it’s been a while since she even ran across one of the cigarette drawings that not so long ago seemed to be all over their home. The smell of smoke that clung to his clothes is gone, which is just as well as she doesn’t think her heightened post-pregnancy sense of smell would do very well with it anyway. She’s used to her new, non-smoking boyfriend, and she thinks it will stick.
Tait is an all-or-nothing kind of guy, Brown said, and she’s not surprised that he’s stuck to his experiment.
“He’s extreme,” she said. “He keeps it interesting.”
http://www.omaha.com/article/20131021/GO/131029960/1696#.UmVgaJRUM0M

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel calls for huge cigarette tax increase

By Cheryl K. Chumley – The Washington Times
Smoke ‘em if you’ve got ‘em — and then hurry and quit, because Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is planning a massive tax increase on cigarettes.
His proposed 75-cent increase would bring a pack of cigarettes in the Windy City to $7.42 a pack, the highest price in the nation, Fox News reported.
But the tax hike could have a countereffect on raising revenues for the city. That’s because border residents only need to jump across state lines to buy in bulk. Already, the city’s total tax collection on cigarettes has fallen in recent years due directly to tax increases. In 2006, the city brought in $32.9 million in cigarette taxes, but after two consecutive tax hikes, revenues fell to $16.5 million, the Chicago Sun-Times said.
The tax rate per pack now stands at 68 cents.
Mr. Emanuel said the move could raise $10 million for schools. He plans to bring it before the City Council for consideration in his Oct. 23 proposed budget.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/21/chicagos-rahm-emanuel-calls-huge-cigarette-tax-hik/
 

Emanuel wants 75 cents a pack cigarette tax increase

Mayor Rahm Emanuel plans to propose increasing the city cigarette tax by 75 cents to help plug a budget gap and provide more free vision care for low-income ChicagoPublic Schools students, a City Hall source said Saturday.
The increase would leave Chicago with the nation’s highest total cigarette taxes. The administration expects to collect an additional $10 million, with $8 million going toward the budget shortfall and $2 million to expand a program that provides free eye exams and glasses to students who fail vision screenings, the source said.
The cigarette tax hike money represents only a fraction of the city’s estimated $339 million budget hole for next year. Even as City Hall was preparing to print budget documents on Sunday in advance of the mayor’s Wednesday budget address, there still was uncertainty over whether Emanuel will propose an increase in the city’s amusement tax on movies, plays, musical performances and sporting events.
Emanuel has ruled out politically toxic property and sales tax increases, so he will have to rely on other less-lucrative ways to raise revenue in addition to cutting costs. Further privatization of city services has been ruled out, the City Hall source said.
That approach will result in “a whole package” of options that aldermen will have to consider as they weigh in on the budget proposal, said Ald. Patrick O’Connor, 40th, the mayor’s City Council floor leader. “I don’t think that anybody is going to go through this and say I’m happy with everything here,” he said.
O’Connor predicted the new budget will be tougher for aldermen to swallow than last year’s spending plan — when there were no tax, fee or fine increases other than adding speed camera revenue — but less difficult than the mayor’s first budget, which increased a host of taxes, fees and fines while cutting and privatizing services.
If aldermen approve the cigarette tax increase, it will come on top of $1 smoke tax increases by the state and Cook County that went into effect during the past 16 months. The city hike would increase the per-pack total tax in Chicago to $7.42, putting it ahead of New York City’s nation-topping tobacco tax, which now is 19 cents higher.
Spending an additional $2 million on the CPS vision program would allow it to serve 45,000 students instead of 30,000.
In keeping with the theme of expanded youth programs, the mayor also plans to propose increased funding for after-school and summer jobs programs, allowing the city to continue increase funding for those programs despite federal cuts, the source said. Funding would come from revenue generated by the city’s speed cameras near schools and parks that are just starting to issue fines.
If approved, the total budget for after-school programs would be $12 million, a 15 percent increase since Emanuel took office in May 2011.
Meanwhile, some aldermen are expected to push for a commuter tax on suburban residents who work in the city, something the mayor has rejected partly because he worked to get rid of the city’s head tax on employees that businesses despised.
“For God sakes, we just got rid of the head tax,” O’Connor said. “If that’s just a replacement for the head tax, I think that’s counter-intuitive.”
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-10-20/news/chi-emanuel-wants-75-cents-a-pack-cigarette-tax-increase-20131019_1_amusement-tax-aldermen-pack-cigarette-tax-increase
 

Costly cigarettes and smoke-free homes: Both effectively reduce tobacco consumption

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say high-priced cigarettes and smoke-free homes effectively reduce smoking behaviors among low-income individuals – a demographic in which tobacco use has remained comparatively high.

Writing in the October 17, 2013 issue of theAmerican Journal of Public Health, principal investigator John P. Pierce, PhD, professor and director of population sciences at UC San Diego School of Medicine, and colleagues found that expensive cigarettes – $4.50 or more per pack – were associated with lower consumption across all levels.

Writing in the October 17, 2013 issue of theAmerican Journal of Public Health, principal investigator John P. Pierce, PhD, professor and director of population sciences at UC San Diego School of Medicine, and colleagues found that expensive cigarettes – $4.50 or more per pack – were associated with lower consumption across all levels.
“Living in a state where the average price paid for cigarettes is low ($3.20 or less per pack) means that all , regardless of income, will smoke a lot more than those who live in a state with higher prices,” said Pierce. “This is the case for those living below the  as well as for the wealthy.”
When smokers agreed to a smoke-free home, not only were they more likely to reduce their smoking but, in addition, if they quit, they were less likely to relapse.
“Price is a deterrent to smoking,” said Pierce, “but successful quitting (90 or more days) was associated in this study only with a smoke-free home.”
The challenge to anti-smoking groups is that low-income smokers are less likely to adopt a smoke-free home environment. Pierce offered several possible explanations: “First, there’s a higher prevalence of smoking in people with lower incomes, which means that there will be more spouses who smoke as well. When both adults smoke, there is much lower motivation to introduce a smoke-free home. Also, social norms against smoking have historically been lower in those with lower incomes.
“No one is mandating a smoke-free home,” Pierce continued. “We are telling people that if they really want to quit, then introducing a smoke-free home will help them be successful. This study supports the current policy of increasing (cigarette) prices and building social norms that protect against secondhand smoke. These policies will reduce consumption among all smokers – reducing potential harm – and the ensuing smoke-free homes will help smokers quit successfully.”
The findings are derived from the 2006-2007 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey, a monthly nationally representative cross-sectional survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The researchers analyzed three sets of supplement data containing responses from more than 150,000 participants aged 18 and older who self-reported both income and smoking habits.
Maya Vijayaraghavan, MD, assistant clinical professor in the Department of Family and Preventive medicine and the study’s first author, said one potential avenue for intervention was to increase regulation of  in public housing.
“This may change norms around smoking among low-income populations living in public housing,” Vijayaraghavan said. “What is important is that clinicians need to emphasize  concerning tobacco use and should encourage and discuss strategies for adopting smoke-free homes among all smokers. Additionally, there is a lot of interest in raising cigarette price to reduce smoking. While we have evidence that moderate increases reduce  behavior in all income groups, it is important to match such a policy with support to help lower income smokers to quit successfully.”
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-10-costly-cigarettes-smoke-free-homes-effectively.html

Study: Light Smokers Face High Risk Of Early Death

(CBS ATLANTA) – Light smokers are not safe from the large life expectancy cuts that come from mild cigarette use.
A new tracking study of health and smoking levels from 200,000 people finds that not only does smoking cut 10 years from a smoker’s life expectancy, but that even mild smokers will double their risk of an early death by continuing cigarette use.
“The international rule of thumb is that half of all smoker deaths are directly caused by tobacco,” Professor Emily Banks of the Australian National University study told ABC News.
“We found that [over the four years] people who are current smokers were three times more likely to die than people who had never smoked, and their life expectancy within that four-year period was diminished by 10 years compared to the never-smokers.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States. Each year, an estimated 443,000 people die prematurely from smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke, and another 8.6 million live with a serious illness caused by smoking.”
Despite these risks, approximately 46.6 million U.S. adults smoke cigarettes. Smokeless tobacco, cigars, and pipes also have deadly consequences, including lung, larynx, esophageal, and oral cancers, reports the CDC.
The study echoes previous research that quitting smoking at any age still reduces the risk of smoking-related death.
The CDC reports: “Each year, primarily because of exposure to secondhand smoke, an estimated 3,000 nonsmoking Americans die of lung cancer, more than 46,000 die of heart disease, and about 150,000–300,000 children younger than 18 months have lower respiratory tract infections.”
http://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2013/10/12/study-light-smokers-face-high-risk-of-early-death/