Smoking Addiction News and Research

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Warnings on stop smoking drug Champix

The smoking cessation drug Champix (sold in the US as Chantix) has allegedly made fifteen people commit suicide since January 2008 in Australia. Another 191 patients have reported suicidal thoughts and related effects. The latest available figures from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) suggest a doubling in the numbers of suicides linked to Champix (Varenicline) since July last year with six people committing suicide.

3 Aug 2010

Tobacco companies alleged liaison with Liberals for cigarette packaging questioned

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has called forth the opposition to explain “what understandings” there were between the Liberal Party and the tobacco industry after revelations of a $5 million industry-funded advertising campaign against the Labor Party with the help of Liberals. The tobacco giants are unhappy with Labor's plan to push for plain packaging for tobacco. The federal government earlier this year announced that it wanted cigarettes to be sold in plain packaging, without brand logos, images and colours, from 2012.

3 Aug 2010

No such thing as “safe” cigarettes

In a new development a 12-member US panel is debating over the issue of menthol cigarettes being more addictive. If the results go against the cigarettes Australia too will have to ban the sale of such cigarettes. This would mean a significant loss to Alpine cigarettes and imported brands such as Kool, Virginia Slims and Salem.

26 Jul 2010

Aboriginals smoke less cigarettes per day than others: Study

A new study showed that Aboriginal smokers residing in remote communities have a significantly lower consumption of cigarettes than the rest of the population. The study was published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health on Wednesday.

14 Jul 2010

Misperceptions about 'light,' 'low,' 'mild' cigarettes

Today, new legislation will go into effect surrounding the ban of word descriptors such as "light," "low," and "mild" on all packaging and advertising of existing cigarettes and smokeless products. However, a new survey, sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare, shows that many smokers will choose the cigarettes in lighter-colored packaging because they incorrectly believe these cigarettes would be less harmful to their health or make it easier to quit smoking.

23 Jun 2010

Cancer forms “intolerable burden” on the community: Health Minister

A new report reveals that here has been a 10 percent rise in cancer figures from 2006 in Australia. The figure translates to nearly 115,000 Australian cancer cases and 43,700 Australians are expected to die from the disease this year.

22 Jun 2010

New Zealanders sucking in more nicotine per cigarette than most other smokers worldwide

Smokers in New Zealand are taking in more nicotine than Australians says a new study. The study found that smokers there have a distinct preference for high nicotine containing brands of cigarettes and have the greatest average amount of tar exposure out of 5,703 smokers in eight countries. Where Australians took 1.36mg of nicotine per cigarette, New Zealanders took in 1.62mg.

21 Jun 2010

Women unaware of their heart disease risk: Report

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has come up with results of their study funded by the National Heart Foundation that warns Australian women of their heart disease risk. It says that heart disease is the leading killer of Australian women and most women (eight out of ten) think that heart disease kills only “old men”.

31 May 2010

World No Tobacco Day observed worldwide

In a new online survey of 15,559 Internet users in China findings show that more than fifty percent smokers find it difficult to quit the habit without professional assistance. This survey came in the wake of the World No Tobacco Day observed on the 31st of May and supported by the media center of the Ministry of Health and the Life Times newspaper.

31 May 2010

Researchers discover molecular mechanism behind smoking cessation effect

The tobacco addiction epidemic is a major public health problem worldwide. Professor Zhao Baolu and his group from the State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences set out to tackle this problem. After 20 years of innovative research, they have developed a novel tea filter to treat cigarette addiction and have discovered the molecular mechanism behind the smoking cessation effect.

12 May 2010

More taxes and drab packages for cigarettes to deter the young from smoking

From 1st July 2012 companies making cigarettes will be allowed only to have a brand name and a graphic health warning on their cigarette packs. There has been a huge debate over this issue. Trade experts believe that this move could mean that the Federal Government may have to cough up more than $3 billion a year to cigarette companies. Tim Wilson from the Institute of Public Affairs also believes that this would cost taxpayers $3.4 billion a year in compensation to tobacco companies. However Australia will be the first country to introduce such a measure.

28 Apr 2010

Genes that predispose to smoking behavior and lung cancer identified: More reason to quit say researchers

According to new research there are certain genes in a smoker that make it difficult for them to cut down or quit the bad habit. This report from three studies published in the journal Nature Genetics mentions at least three different genetic mutations on chromosome 15 or changes that can increase the number of cigarettes smoked per day by an individual.

25 Apr 2010

Stopping smoking may be harder than quitting heroin

An addiction is an addiction and it may be tougher to quit smoking cigarettes compared to beating a heroin addiction. An Australian study found that many long term smokers have tried to quit 7.4 times but are still unable to do so. Sydney GP Raymond Seidler actually feels that people do not realize that quitting smoking is just as bad as kicking heroin out of your life.

22 Apr 2010

No nicotine in e-cigarettes for Australians yet

According to a recent study undertaken by the Clinical Trials Research Unit at the University of Auckland published in British Journal Tobacco Control on 8th April 2010, electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes containing nicotine have similar effects to real cigarettes such as the desire to smoke, withdrawal, dependence and other effects.

13 Apr 2010

Tel Aviv University researcher finds link between cigarette smoking and IQ

"Only dopes use dope," goes the memorable warning about drugs. Now a Tel Aviv University researcher cautions that the same goes for cigarettes.

2 Apr 2010

300,000 extra GP visits for children due to passive smoking - time to make cars and homes smoke free

Doctors have urged an immediate review of the anti-smoking laws in light of such alarming facts. They want a ban on smoking in public places and cars.

25 Mar 2010

Hope for deadly smoking addiction; federal Tobacco Act amendment on the anvil

The Canadian Lung Association today congratulated Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq and all Parliamentarians on the passage of Bill C-32, an Act to Amend the federal Tobacco Act. The passage of the Act is a key win in the fight against smoking and the tobacco industry.

7 Oct 2009

More evidence that genes increase a smokers' risk of lung cancer

Cancer Research UK funded scientists have confirmed that inherited changes in certain regions of the genome can increase a smokers' risk of developing lung cancer lung cancer, and determine the type of lung cancer that develops. Their results were published in this week's edition of the journal Cancer Research*.

21 Aug 2009

Research may bring powerful new test for inflammatory lung diseases

Chronic inflammatory lung diseases like chronic bronchitis and emphysema are a major global health problem, and the fourth leading cause of death and disability in developed countries, with smoking accounting for 90% of the risk for developing them.

3 Aug 2009

Anti-smoking initiative targets China's medical professionals

China Daily explores how a new anti-smoking initiative in China targets the country's medical professionals. According to the newspaper, "China is the world's largest tobacco producer and consumer," with "350 million smokers, plus 450 million people exposed to second-hand smoke." Annually, 1 million deaths are smoking-related, according to China's Ministry of Health.

29 Jul 2009