nicotine

Both sides take tobacco fight to Supreme Court

Source: www.thesunnews.com Author: Mark Sherman The Obama administration asked the Supreme Court Friday to allow the government to seek nearly $300 billion from the tobacco industry for a half-century of deception that "has cost the lives and damaged the health of untold millions of Americans." Both sides in a landmark, decade-long legal fight over smoking took their case to the high court Friday. The administration, joined by public health groups, wants the court to throw out rulings that bar the government from collecting $280 billion of past tobacco profits or $14 billion for a national campaign to curb smoking. Friday's filings with the Supreme Court mark the latest phase in a lawsuit that began during Bill Clinton's presidency. Philip Morris USA, the nation's largest tobacco maker, its parent company Altria Group Inc., R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., British American Tobacco Investments Ltd. and Lorillard Tobacco Co. filed separate but related appeals that take issue with a federal judge's 1,600-page opinion and an appeals court ruling that found the industry engaged in racketeering and fraud over several decades. In 2006, U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler ruled that the companies engaged in a scheme to defraud the public by falsely denying the adverse health effects of smoking, concealing evidence that nicotine is addictive and lying about their manipulation of nicotine in cigarettes to create addiction. A federal appeals court in Washington upheld the findings. At the same time, however, the courts have said the government is not entitled to collect $280 billion in [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-02-20T22:40:43-07:00February, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Mitchell teens give ‘Unfiltered Reality’ check

Source: www.keloland.com Author: Katie Janssen They look just like candy and gum; pop them in your mouth and they melt like mints. It may sound innocent enough, but they're just as addictive as cigarettes. Tobacco companies are adding new products, and experts say they're getting better at targeting them to kids. But a group of Mitchell teens is trying to see through the hype and educate parents and their peers. They call themselves "Unfiltered Reality," and around 300 middle and high school students are part of the Mitchell group. Their goal is to educate as many people as possible not just about what smoking can do, but how today's kids are increasingly targeted. "Actually make it look like candy, boxes color-coordinated with candy, gum, Tic-Tacs, make it look closer," Zane Ireland, a senior at Mitchell High School and member of Unfiltered Reality, said. And they have several examples. They found a can of apple-flavored chewing tobacco that looks very similar to apple-flavored mints and gum. A small cigarillo looks just like a tube of lip balm, and the tiny cigars come in flavors like pina colada and tangerine. And they also found a pack of cigarettes that looks a lot like breath mints, and the cigarettes even contain a mint capsule that smokers can pop to add flavor. "Pretty colors, cool shapes and designs; more people would think it's cool and want to try it," Emma Kelly, also a senior at MHS and member of Unfiltered Reality, said. The group [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-12-17T08:22:17-07:00December, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Maker of Camels buys cigarette replacement seller

Source: townhall.com Author: staff Cigarette maker Reynolds American Inc. has reached a deal to acquire a Swedish company whose nicotine gum, pouches and spray help people stop smoking, the second-largest U.S. tobacco company said Wednesday. The acquisition will let Reynolds offer products that can "reduce the risks of diseases and death caused by tobacco use," CEO Susan M. Ivey said in a statement. Niconovum AB's products are sold outside the U.S. under the Zonnic brand. They could help the maker of Camel cigarettes and Grizzly smokeless tobacco keep growing as tax increases, health concerns, smoking bans and social stigma cut into demand for cigarettes. The deal, which Reynolds expects to conclude by the end of the year, would be worth about $44 million. The Associated Press reported last month that the companies were in talks. Karl Olov Fagerstrom, an expert on smoking cessation and nicotine dependence, formed Niconovum in 2000, according to its Web site. Reynolds, which is based in Winston-Salem, N.C., said it will fund product development and testing required for Niconovum to enter markets outside of Sweden and Denmark. It intends to keep Niconovum's headquarters in Sweden and retain its leaders. Under the Camel brand, Reynolds has introduced moist smokeless tobacco and snus _ small pouches like tea bags that users stick between the cheek and gum. Reynolds also has introduced dissolving tobacco _ finely milled tobacco shaped into orbs, sticks and strips _ in test markets.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-12-04T05:07:29-07:00December, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Swedish snuff more addicting?

Source: www.upi.com Author: staff A Swedish tobacco company adds a substance to snuff products to heighten dependency, an investigative report concluded. The usual level for snuff or 'snus' is eight milligrams per gram but double that amount was found in one product produced by Swedish Match, the news program Kalla Fakta reported. The report alleges that Swedish Match added a substance known as E500 which raises "free" nicotine to increase craving. The tobacco company denies any wrongdoing. "There is no secret substance in snus," spokesman Henrik Brehmer said regarding the use of E500. "We use it to stabilize the pH value in snus and have done so for 200 years." Brehmer rejected an assertion by Harvard School of Public Health Professor Greg Connolly Swedish Match is deliberately using the substance to addict consumers. "In a study in 2008 he concluded that we are manipulating the pH value, something that we consider hugely speculative," Brehmer said.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-10-26T18:47:47-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Doctor’s word–tips to escape the smoking trap

Source: news.ncmonline.com Author: Erin Marcus, M.D. Editor's Note: In the debut of A Doctor's Word, Dr. Erin Marcus wrote about an African-American man's effort to quit smoking cigarettes. This week, she offers practical advice for all who would like to kick the habit. Dr. Marcus is associate professor of clinical medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. In my first column, I shared the story of Lawrence Jones, a 55-year-old man who smoked for 35 years until July, when he decided to quit. In his words, he was “sick and tired of being sick and tired.” Giving up the addictive habit of tobacco is extremely difficult, and Jones’ success depended on the help of a counselor, smoking cessation classes, nicotine replacement patches, and the support of a friend. Here are some things that helped Jones, as well as tips I’ve garnered over the years as a primary care physician. To succeed at quitting, you first have to decide that this is something you really want to do. Medicine and classes won’t work unless you have made a commitment. In Jones’ case, a graphic video that his counselor played at his first stop smoking class made him resolve to quit. It showed pictures of smokers that he could not forget: a man missing an eye and part of his nose from mouth cancer, and people breathing through tracheotomies – holes that doctors surgically cut in their throats when cancer prevented them from breathing. “You have to be willing [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-10-20T13:11:52-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Today’s smokeless tobacco is just as addictive and marketed to the young

Source: www.timesleader.com Author: Geri Anne Kaikowski It’s a misconception that just because you don’t smoke nicotine, it is less addictive and less dangerous than a cigarette. That’s the fallacy and danger behind a marketing ploy for a new take on a centuries old product, snuff. Whereas the old snuff, popular in the 1970s and 1980s in round paper containers or bags under the name Copenhagen or Skoal, was chewed and spit out, today’s snuff comes in fancy containers with equally avant-garde aromas and names. And unlike its predecessor, this snuff isn’t pinched into one’s gums or chewed, it’s inhaled through the nostrils. And it isn’t being used just by baseball players or teenage boys emulating their sports idols. Snuff is being marketed to tweens, teens and college students, both female and male, as hip, cool and healthy. It’s available for a nominal cost with a simple click online. Yet, it’s anything but harmless, according to an area ear, nose and throat specialist, who is concerned that in any form, nicotine is extremely addictive. And what makes snuff so dangerous is that it doesn’t fall under any federal regulations, according to a local tobacco expert. Many feel it’s the burning and inhaling of tobacco that exposes users to most carcinogens. Some specialists feel that, for health reasons, if you are going to use tobacco, you are better off using nasal snuff. But nasal snuff contains nicotine and is highly addictive, says Dr. Zephron Newmark, an ENT specialist with Geisinger [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-10-13T03:44:09-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Big Tobacco still targets teenagers

Source: www.postbulletin.com Author: staff A couple of months ago I ran into a friend I hadn't seen in years. I didn't recognize him. A once solid and athletic guy, now in his late 40s, he'd lost more than 50 pounds and his skin was the color of fireplace ash. A long, thin scar ran from his jaw all the way down his neck and disappeared under his shirt. "I've got cancer," he said after re-introducing himself. He explained that he'd been through extensive surgery and treatments but that he was optimistic he'd pull through. Doctors told him smoking was the likely cause of his throat cancer. This week marks the two-year anniversary of the law that made it illegal to smoke in Minnesota's bars, restaurants and other public places. Olmsted County can take pride in the fact that it helped lead the way in the push to clear the air in the state's workplaces, eating establishments and watering holes. In November of 2001, Olmsted County Board members passed a comprehensive anti-smoking ordinance. The countywide ban was a courageous, landmark decision that helped create momentum for the statewide legislation. I don't know about you, but whenever I visit a state like Wyoming, where smoking is prohibited only in underground mines and other places where you could blow yourself up if you lit a match, I'm thankful for Minnesota's ban. It's so nice to be able to enjoy a meal without having to breathe in toxic fumes. But the tobacco wars continue. [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-10-06T21:04:12-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Curcumin may inhibit nicotine-induced activation of head and neck cancers

Source: www.sciencedaily.com Author: staff Curcumin, the compound that gives curry powder its yellow/orange color, may inhibit the adverse effects of nicotine in patients with head and neck cancer who continue to smoke. In a paper presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO in San Diego, researchers examined the effects of curcumin on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) growths. The study used an in vitro model of a variety of head and neck cancer cell lines. To mimic the clinical situation, HNSCC cells were pre-treated with curcumin and then nicotine was introduced. The results of the studies showed that the curcumin was able to block the nicotine from activating cancer causing cells. Annually there are approximately 40,000 new cases of head and neck cancers and 13,000 deaths in the U.S. and 500,000 new cases worldwide. Recurrence of these cancers are high because many patients continue to smoke after successful treatment. Also, former smokers often use nicotine replacement therapy as an aid for successful tobacco cessation. Although nicotine itself has not been shown to be carcinogenic, it has been shown to encourage the cancer-forming process. The researchers sought a safe, bioactive food compound that could be used not only as a chemopreventive agent but could also block the harmful effects of nicotine. The results may help to discover additional therapies for cancer prevention and treatment. Note: 1. Adapted from materials provided by American Academy of Otolaryngology -- [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-10-05T05:04:07-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

New tobacco product prompts concerns… No it’s not Marlboro…

Source: www.us-marlboro.com Author: staff Sweden brought us meatballs, the Nobel prize, Ikea, the Saab and the Volvo. But the country’s latest mark on the U.S. is not so benign: an oral tobacco product known as snus. The moist tobacco, which comes in a tea-bag-style pouch that goes under the upper lip, has public health experts divided. Some say snus (rhymes with loose) could save scores of lives if smokers switch to it, because the product contains far fewer carcinogens than do cigarettes, chew and snuff. Critics, though, say snus will only increase the number of people addicted to nicotine and poses a serious threat to anti-tobacco efforts. They say it could create a new crop of young nicotine addicts, while smokers could just as easily supplement their habit rather than substitute one for the other.Some Americans have been using snus by ordering it online or buying it in U.S. test markets, but R.J. Reynolds Tobacco didn’t release Camel Snus nationally until a few weeks ago, the first and only major tobacco company to do so. Philip Morris is selling Marlboro Snus in test markets. In Sweden, nearly a fifth of men in 2007 said they used snus daily, compared with 12 percent who smoke, according to Swedish Match, the country’s largest snus producer. The trend doesn’t hold for Swedish women: just 4 percent use snus and 16 percent smoke. Sweden also has fewer cases of lung cancer than the rest of Europe. Advocates of snus say it deserves at least [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-10-06T13:05:32-07:00October, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Michigan health leaders target growing hookah use

Source: www.detnews.com Author: Kim Kozlowski Everybody that Rola Rayes knows smokes the ornate water pipe that has become popular in Metro Detroit and around the world. But no one realizes the dangers linked to the pipe, known here as a hookah, because it is so ingrained in her Middle Eastern culture. Rayes, 17, has been trying to convince her family and friends about the personal health risks of water pipe smoke, and second-hand smoke to others. "It's a very big problem," said Rayes, a Dearborn resident who moved here in 2005 from Lebanon. "This is affecting me, it is affecting my brothers and it is affecting them." Rayes joined state and local health leaders Thursday to strategize ways to tackle a growing state problem of hookah smoking. They are trying to stop the use of hookah pipes as research about the risks continues to mount. For example, smoking the hookah for an hour can yield as much smoke as 100 or more cigarettes. It contains significantly more nicotine and carbon monoxide than cigarette smoke, and use by pregnant woman can contribute to low birth weights, according to recent studies. "It's spread and is being used widely among different age groups and across ethnicities," said Dinah Ayna, coordinator of the forum, organized by the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services. No research into hookah use existed before 2002, according to Wasim Maziak, director of the Syrian Center for Tobacco Studies in the Middle East. But his center alone has [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-08-19T06:18:17-07:00August, 2009|Oral Cancer News|