Tobacco.org

• McConnell mum on tobacco bill  

The issue of federal regulation of tobacco now sits with the Senate, and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will play a key role in what happens next.

The Kentucky Republican has until at least Sept. 8 to ponder his options. That's when Congress returns from the August recess it began Friday.

The House last week passed legislation giving the federal Food and Drug Administration the power to regulate tobacco. The bill passed by a veto-proof margin of 326-12.

The Senate is close to a veto-proof margin with 57 co-sponsors on a bill similar to the House's. . . .

"The senator remains concerned that giving the FDA the authority to regulate tobacco will have a major impact on the thousands of Kentucky farm families who rely on the crop to make a living," McConnell spokesman Robert Steurer said. . . .

He also has received more money from the tobacco industry than any other senator this election cycle -- $116,400, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Before you decide you know what McConnell will do, consider that the second-highest tobacco money recipient at $78,656 is Sen. John McCain, of Arizona, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee and a co-sponsor of the Senate tobacco-control bill.

In ninth place for tobacco contributions with $25,745 is Sen. Barack Obama, of Illinois, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and also a co-sponsor of the tobacco bill.

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New Albany eyes smoke ban  

The proposed ordinance, which says the city attorney will be responsible for enforcement, is a hot issue going into tomorrow's City Council meeting where it is to be introduced.

The "City of New Albany Smoke Free Air Act" includes many of the restrictions imposed a year ago in Louisville, but is not identical.

"It's very comprehensive and looks very similar to ours," said Pat Mulvihill, an assistant Jefferson County, Ky., attorney.

The New Albany ordinance would prohibit smoking in "all enclosed public places" in the city, including bars, bingo halls, restaurants and private clubs when the public is invited or that have no employees.

The measure will be introduced by Councilman Bob Caesar

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Little of tobacco settlement spent on smoking cessation 

Of the hundreds of millions of dollars the state of Kansas has received from the 1998 master tobacco settlement, it has spent 1 percent on prevention and cessation programs.

The Sunflower State has pulled in $505 million from the tobacco companies since 1999, but spent just $7 million of that on activities aimed at reducing smoking.

"We tax people on cigarettes, we get money from smokers," said Mary Jayne Hellebust, director of the Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition. "Then we're getting these funds from the (settlement), but what are we providing to help them quit?"

State officials associated with the settlement money point out nearly all of it is funding worthy childhood programs, such as Early Head Start and prekindergarten. And Kansas isn't alone in how it is utilizing the money. The majority of states use payments from the tobacco giants for purposes other than smoking prevention. . . .

The money KDHE does receive from the settlement funds 34 grants awarded to community smoking-prevention programs in 43 counties. The $1 million KDHE gets from the CDC pays for the quitline and tobacco-use prevention staff.

It isn't enough, said Benlon, with the American Cancer Society. She pointed to the stagnant smoking rate among high-schoolers.

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Letter: Paying the price for smoking 

Since January of this year, I have spent more than a month in the hospital, and many of those days in intensive care, because of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema.

I smoked for over 50 years and was told in the late 1990s that I would be on oxygen in a couple of years.

Well, I didn’t listen, but in 2004 my doctor put me on oxygen, even though I had quit smoking in 2003. . . .

I invite any one of you to call me or come visit me so I can explain what it is like to not be able to breathe, until you have been near death a couple of times in a six-month period.

Or ask my family what it was like to see me suffer with a breathing tube down my throat. It is not a very pleasant picture.

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New Albany City Council To Debate Smoking Ban  

City leaders in New Albany, Ind., said the city could become the next Greater Louisville-area community with a smoking ban.

A proposed ordinance is expected to be introduced Monday night when the City Council meets.

It includes many of the restrictions included in Louisville's smoking ban law.

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Little tobacco money spent to stop smoking 

Just 1% of the $505 million that Kansas won in a settlement with tobacco companies has been spent on anti-smoking programs.

But anti-smoking advocates say more needs to go on activities to help people stop smoking or not pick up the habit.

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• PUPILS AGE 12 GET NICOTINE PATCHES 

Kids as young as 12 are getting nicotine patches through school in a bid to stop them smoking.

Schools are signing up to a Government campaign to tackle worrying levels of addiction in youngsters.

But trying to stop pupils wrecking their health is proving controversial.

Some parents are angry at what they see as teachers interfering in their role - and at children being treated with an addictive drug.

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South Yorkshire | Children get help to stop smoking 

Children as young as 12 are being given nicotine patches through their schools in an attempt to stop them smoking.

Priory School and Sports College is one of several schools in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, which has signed up for the government scheme.

In February England's official NHS advisory body said pupils should get help for serious smoking problems.

One parent whose teenage son is getting help to stop smoking told the BBC the scheme was "fantastic".

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LaBeouf lawyers - Left hand 'crushed' in wreck  

Shia LaBeouf could have a long road before him as he recovers from the accident that crushed his hand, his lawyer says.

LaBeouf, 22, was injured in a late-night crash last Sunday in West Hollywood that flipped his truck. . . .

Photos posted on entertainment blogs Friday showed the actor wearing jeans, a ballcap and a T-shirt missing one sleeve as he smoked a cigarette outside the Los Angeles hospital where he has been recovering since the surgery.

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Arkansas man buys Wagner baseball card for $1.62M 

A 1909 Honus Wagner baseball card was sold for $1.62 million at a memorabilia auction in Chicago, a sports auction company said Saturday.

The record price for a baseball card is $2.8 million _ paid in 2007 for a near-mint condition Wagner card released in 1909 by the American Tobacco Company.

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Smoking speeds tooth decay  

Smoking contributes to tooth decay and gum loss. It compromises the flow, amount and function of saliva in the mouth. Saliva is important for cleaning the lining of the mouth and teeth. The flow of saliva helps to counteract mouth acids that cause decay and protects the teeth from wearing away. The calcium in saliva helps to prevent tooth decay. The calcium remineralizes (hardens) the surfaces of the teeth.

Studies show that smokers tend to have more tooth decay than nonsmokers. Some studies show that children who are raised in households where one or both adults smoke are more likely to develop tooth decay because of mouth breathing and respiratory infections. . . .

It is very important for Soldiers to maintain good oral hygiene in the field to prevent tooth decay and gum disease. A Soldier's risk of tooth decay increases in the field. Rations have a high amount of starch and sugar which bacteria use to produce acids that cause tooth decay.

A person's best defense against tooth decay and oral cancer is to stop smoking.

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Grim cashes an IOU  

“I smoke. I’m asthmatic and I’m on a life saving drug because of smoking related problems. I’ve been smoking for about 30 years. I don’t know if it is going to kill me. The first diagnosis said I would be dead by 21. At 38 I was told I would be dead in a year, but that was 7 years ago. The rhetoric on this is not based on truth. Reality is very different, I’m living proof of it. I grew up as an asthmatic in a home with four smokers. Most of the stuff about smoking is mythology. - Warren Klass

Well, now that Warren is dead, at the ripe old age of 52, who is going to take on the job of coming up with all those creative names for non-smokers, such as “Nazi”, “Hitler”, and “Taliban”?

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Cartoon brings humour to humidor 

This majolica tobacco humidor features the famous Happy Hooligan, a comic strip character developed by the late cartoonist Fred Opper for the Hearst Newspaper chain. The cartoon first appeared in 1900 and ran until 1932. Despite his frequent bad luck, Happy Hooligan was an eternally optimistic Irish tramp with an enormous smile and a tin can for a hat. Here, he's featured with one of his brothers, the monocled Montmorency, and the two are embarking on a trip to England. The chained bulldog with the pipe on top of the jar is symbolically guarding the valuable tobacco inside. This piece was made in the Austria-Germany region between 1900 and 1920 and has great appeal for four different categories of collectors. Anyone interested in figural humidors, majolica, tobacco items, or cartoon characters would no doubt be charmed by this piece. At auction, it could spark some serious rivalry and I wouldn't be surprised if it brought as much as $550.

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Exit strategy signifies relief 

DELHI -- The days of the Delnor dry suit are gone forever.

The yellow outfit, resembling a raincoat, was made in Simcoe and worn in the fields by generations of tobacco harvesters.

Paul Andratis, owner of the Home Hardware store in Delhi, said he used to sell 500 every year. This year he sold 15.

That's the way it's been for retailers in Delhi, the Norfolk County community that prides itself as the buckle of the tobacco belt.

Andrastis said sales of farm supplies, which used to make up 60 per cent of the business, have almost dried up. . . .

Nancy Evans, a 40-year resident of Delhi, said she was furious with the tobacco farmers, who have lived the "good life" for so long, and are getting so much cash now while keeping their land and equipment.

"It's a crock," Evans said as she strolled on a tree-lined street of the town. "There's a lot of people who feel the same way."

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What others say 

Brian Baswick, 53, a third-generation tobacco grower, said the dominant feeling among growers is relief. "There was just way too much pressure on this community -- through no fault of our own -- and it needed to be lifted," said Baswick, who expects this to be his last crop after more than 30 years in the business. "This is just about finding a way to move forward."

Rob Cunningham, of the Canadian Cancer Society, criticized the exit strategy, given that the federal government has called off its anti-smoking advertising campaign and its aboriginal anti-smoking strategy.

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