Reasons to stop smoking: Smoking, drinking may cause throat, stomach cancer

Drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes appear to increase the risk of certain common throat and stomach cancers, Dutch researchers say.

The findings, presented at an American Association for Cancer Research meeting in Washington, underline other health recommendations for people to follow a healthy lifestyle.

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Reasons To Stop Smoking: Massachusetts Smoking Ban Saves 600 Lives So Far

Today, I have great news to report:

The Harvard School of Public Health and the Massachusetts Public Health Department say that almost 600 less heart attack deaths occurred since their statewide smoking ban started in 2004!

Dr. Michael Siegel, a Boston University School of Public Health specialist in tobacco control, used to be very critical of smoking bans, and even of Harvard’s previous research. He now has this to say:

"This is the strongest study yet done of the effect of smoking bans on heart attacks. You can no longer argue that these declines would have occured simpy due to medical treatment."

I could not agree any stronger, Dr. Siegel!

- Franc Tausch, PhD, CCHT

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Reason To Stop Smoking: Cigarettes Are Unreasonably Dangerous, Tobacco Lawyer Admits

While Alvin Davis, lawyer for Ligget Group Inc (maker of Chesterfield cigarettes) admits that "cigarettes are unreasonable dagerous", he also believes that "the question is whether that alone is a sufficient basis to hold the manufacturer liable"!

Reason enough for Davis to ask the Florida Supreme Court to reverse a $545,000 product liability verdict Thursday because the ailing smoker who won the judgment wasn’t required to prove the company could have made a safer cigarette!!!

WHAT???

Find the whole unbelievable story below.

- Franc Tausch, PhD, CCHT

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Reasons To Stop Smoking: San Francisco - Judge Denies Bid To Stop Ban On Cigarette Sales In Drug Stores

A federal judge denied a motion by Philip Morris USA Inc. for a preliminary injunction that would have put on hold San Francisco’s ban on tobacco sales by pharmacies until the cigarette company’s lawsuit against the city is resolved.

The ordinance is the first of its kind in the nation. It was approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in July, signed by Mayor Gavin Newsom in August and went into effect Oct. 1. Read my post on that.

Philip Morris, the nation’s largest cigarette company, argued in court filings that the city’s regulation violates the First Amendment because it effectively forces tobacco companies to pull the advertising that accompanies its products in drug stores.

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Another city in Los Angeles county says ‘Stop Smoking here’! After Santa Monica, Burbank, Calabasas, Thousand Oaks, Baldwin Park, and most recently Pasadena, Glendale now also has a strict citywide smoking ban - and it is effective immediately!

To protect people from secondhand smoke, smoking is prohibited in parks, all city property, publicly accessible private property, common areas of apartment complexes, hotel rooms, and outdoor dining patios (unless there is a 10-foot separation between smokers and non-smokers).

A task force to enforce these strategies will be formed, and repeat offenders will have to pay fines of up to $500.

- Franc Tausch, PhD, CCHT

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