State's latest tobacco challenge is the hookah

Congratulations, California: We've made serious inroads in fighting the tobacco scourge that for decades has killed and sickened millions. Too bad there's another health threat coming up fast in the rearview mirror.

It's called hookah, and as with other tobacco fads of the past, its purveyors have successfully conveyed an aura of harmlessness that masks very real health consequences.

Between 2005 and 2008, according to researchers at UC San Diego, the number of California adults who've used a hookah at some point in their lives jumped by more than 40 percent, to 11.2 percent for men and 2.8 percent for women. They're especially popular with high school and college-age smokers.

Hookahs, centuries-old devices, are in their present incarnation glass pipes used to smoke water-cooled, frequently flavored tobacco. One recent study showed that 59.5 percent of high school students believe a hookah is more socially acceptable than cigarettes, and 46.3 percent believe it is safer. It's not: Hookah smokers are susceptible to the same risks as cigarette smokers. Throw in the possibility of herpes from shared pipes, and it's clear this is a practice worth discussing with the kids.

Tobacco Farming Stirs Debate in Religious Circles

Tobacco farming has become a hot "potato" in most churches as leaders fear it might cause serious factionalism and great loss of much-needed revenue for the upkeep and sustenance of the institutions.

Most church leaders contacted by The Herald refused to speak on behalf of their respective churches preferring to give personal opinions on whether it was Godly or not to grow the lucrative crop.
Tobacco is the crop of the moment with an average selling price of about US$4 per kilogramme.

It has evidently transformed the lives of many people and communities, with some cases of rags to riches being documented.

Investigations by The Herald last week revealed that some churches whose doctrines do not allow tobacco farming end up compromising them considering that most of the income comes from the growing of the golden leaf.

Proceeds from farming are reportedly dominating the tithes and love offerings in some churches to an extent that the churches choose not to debate the issue.

Investigations show that the churches feel the issue was too sensitive and a threat to the oneness of the institutions. Recently, one of the most popular and old churches was trapped in a predicament when a tobacco farmer and member of the church brought a US$600 000 tithe from tobacco sales to the church.

Sources within the church revealed that the leadership debated the issue at national level until the money was finally accepted.

"His tobacco had fetched in excess of US$6 million. There was a debate among the leaders until the money triumphed. The money was finally accepted after the leaders agreed to consider the business aspect of tobacco farming," said an impeccable source.

Mixed reactions came from various representatives, most of whom chose to speak on condition of anonymity.

Although most Christians agreed that there was nowhere in the Bible specifically barring people from growing or smoking tobacco, some challenged the practice on Christian health grounds.

Smokeless-tobacco use hints at higher death rates post-MI

Continued use of a smokeless tobacco called snus—often considered a safer alternative to cigarettes and used by those trying to stop smoking—is associated with an increased risk of death in those who have already suffered a heart attack, new research from Sweden shows.
"Every time we discharge an MI patient who's a snus user, we are faced with the clinically important question of whether they should discontinue use," researcher Dr Gabriel Arefalk (Uppsala University, Sweden) told a press conference today here at the European Society of Cardiology 2011 Congress.

And although the results of his observational study were not significant after extensive multivariate adjustment—so cannot really be used by doctors to advise patients to stop using snus—he said the totality of the evidence points to snus being harmful, including a meta-analysis published in BMJ in 2009 [1], as previously reported by heartwire. The American Heart Association agrees, he adds, having advised against its use.

Nevertheless, the effects of quitting snus post-MI should ideally still be studied in a randomized clinical trial to confirm his findings, Arefalk said.
Arefalk explained that snus—which comes in the form of small sachets (like mini tea bags) or as a loose tobacco powder placed as a bolus under the upper lip for around an hour—has increasingly been used by people in Sweden to try to quit smoking. Use has increased in the past two decades, he said, and has now reached a plateau—around 20% of men and 4% of women use it.

Although smoking is undoubtedly more harmful than snus use and "there is no doubt that if you have to choose between smoking cigarettes and snus use that the latter is less harmful," he says, experimental evidence indicates that the nicotine in snus induces acute hemodynamic effects such as increased blood pressure and heart rate.

Because no study has addressed the question of whether snus users who have had an MI are at increased risk of further events or death if they continue to use the smokeless tobacco, Arefalk and colleagues decided to investigate this important clinical question.

They followed 20 911 consecutive MI patients under aged 75 or less admitted to a coronary care unit in Sweden between 2005 and 2009. Two months after discharge, patients were asked about traditional CV risk factors, including past and present tobacco exposure, snus use, and whether they participated in rehab programs.

Pay more for tobacco products, liquor

With a view to garner additional revenue of Rs 6,000 crore, the West Bengal government has stressed more on tax compliance and simplification of the tax regime. It has also increased tax on foreign liquor and tobacco products other than bidis.

Presenting the Finance Bill in the Assembly on Monday, Finance Minister Amit Mitra put tobacco products such as cigarettes, gutkha and pan masala under schedule D of VAT, which enables the government to charge taxes more than the present 13.5 per cent.

“This has been done to empower the government to impose taxes on these products, which can cause deadly diseases like cancer. We will announce the quantum of increase soon. However, we have kept bidis, which is consumed by the common people, outside schedule D,’’ Mitra later told the media outside the House.

Mitra also raised tax on India-made foreign liquor by bringing it under schedule D. For alcohol sold at MRP (maximum retail price), VAT has been increased from 23 per cent to 27 per cent. Alcohol sold without MRP will attract a VAT of 50 per cent against the current 37 per cent.

Marlboro snus plant in Va being idled

The parent company of Philip Morris USA says it's idling a Virginia manufacturing plant that makes its Marlboro snus smokeless, spit-less tobacco.

Altria Group said Wednesday it is moving production from the York County facility to various facilities of its U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. subsidiary.

The Richmond-based company began testing the product in select markets in 2007 and took it nationwide in March 2010.

Snus are teabag-like pouches that users stick between their cheek and gum. Tax hikes, health concerns, smoking bans and social stigma continue to cut cigarette demand. Tobacco companies are seeking growth in alternatives to keep customers

Spokesman Ken Garcia said as of Wednesday, the plant employed 41 people. The company is working to place as many of those workers as possible at other manufacturing facilities.

One in three Warwickshire shops sold cigarettes to kids

ONE in three shops in Warwickshire were willing to sell cigarettes to children used in undercover sting operations during the last year.

That compares to just one in eight stores in neighbouring Coventry.

Health chiefs warn more work is needed to protect children from cigarettes, despite the number of underage smokers falling nationally.

Richard Hobbs, portfolio holder for community protection at Warwickshire County Council, said it was worrying that children still found it too easy to buy cigarettes.

He promised officers would carry on targeting retailers who flouted the law and their responsibilities.

During the last year trading standards officers have sent children into 27 shops in Warwickshire to buy LUCKY STRIKE cigarettes.

Nine stores served them without asking for identification.

That includes six of out 12 shops targeted in Rugby and three out of five in Nuneaton and Bedworth.

However, just three out of 24 shops fell into the same trap in Coventry.

And none of the 10 outlets tested in Stratford served the youngsters.

Ensuring stores stop serving children is only part of the battle, as many youngsters are still able to convince complete strangers to buy cigarettes for them.

Ban on shop displays of tobacco 'next year'

A ban on displaying cigarettes in shops will not begin until next spring at the earliest, the Health Minister has said.

Edwin Poots wants to introduce regulations barring the tobacco products from view in stores and scrapping vending machines.

Mr Poots said: "Despite all the available evidence on the harm caused by smoking, hundreds of children and young people are still taking up this life-limiting habit each year.

"By removing displays of tobacco products from view in shops, and preventing children from accessing them through vending machines, we are building upon measures already in place aimed at reducing the prevalence of smoking."

Shop owners have highlighted the time it will take them to be ready for the new legislation. There are also legal challenges to the equivalent regulations in England.

Mr Poots said the ban will not commence in Northern Ireland until next spring at the earliest. Vending machine sales should end from February 1 next year.

Raiders take £5,000 of cigarettes from Waitrose supermarket in Portswood

RAIDERS smashed their way into a Southampton supermarket in the early hours and stole cigarettes worth £5,000.

Police believe three men broke in the rear of the Waitrose store in Portswood Road before raiding the kiosk and filling large rubble type bags.

Details of the raid which took place on Wednesday, August 17, just before 5am, have just been released as police step up their inquiries.
Read Smoking statistics 2011 on tobacco blog
The trio are all about 6ft and were wearing hoodies and dark tracksuit bottoms.

NC Man Pleads Guilty to Cigarette Conspiracy

Nasser Saleh, 51, of Raleigh, N.C., pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to conspiracy to transport, receive, possess, purchase and sell contraband cigarettes, according to a news release.
Saleh told prosecutors between September 2010 through January 2011, he took part in a conspiracy with others to purchase and transport contraband cigarettes in and around the Huntington area.

The news release also said Saleh admitted to being responsible for 12,672 cartons of contraband cigarettes, representing a tax loss to the state of West Virginia of $69,696.

This case is being prosecuted as part of a yearlong undercover operation that targeted illegal drugs and firearms crimes in the Huntington area.

British Town Cracks Down on Counterfeit Cigarettes

Officials in Blackpool are targeting counterfeit cigarette sellers by stopping smokers and asking them where they purchased their cigarettes, the BBC reports.

Part of Operation Smokescreen, the tactic is one of several that has led to the seizure of roughly 15,000 counterfeit cigarettes earlier this month.

Officials say the illegal smokes pose a significant health risk, with the cigarettes containing 30 times the lead levels of legal tobacco.

Police are carrying out test purchases at local stores, too, identifying retailers who stock counterfeit cigarettes.

"From a health point of view all cigarettes are dangerous, but the counterfeit ones are potentially lethal,” said local Councilor Gary Coleman. “We want members of the public to know if they suspect illegal activity they can report it and we will investigate.”

Illegal cigarettes costing national kitty dearly

Growing tax evasion, counterfeiting and smuggling in cigarette industry are costing the national kitty dear.

According to the Federal Board of Revenue statistics collected by this scribe, taxes and duties evaded by illegal cigarette manufacturers over the last seven years reach over Rs55 billion.

During the last fiscal year, the government lost Rs10 billion to illegal cigarette industry in the shape of Rs7 billion tax evasion, Rs1billion counterfeiting and Rs2 billion smuggling.

Cigarette-related tax evasion totalled Rs6.5 billion in 2010, Rs6.5 billion in 2009, Rs6 billion in 2008, Rs5.6 billion in 2007, Rs5.5 billion in 2006 and Rs4 billion in 2005.

Likewise, counterfeiting in cigarette industry cost the exchequer Rs1 billion in 2010, Rs1 billion in 2009, Rs0.25 billion in 2008, Rs0.24 billion in 2007, Rs0.10 billion in 2006 and Rs0.48 billion in 2005.

As for cigarette smuggling, national revenue loss was Rs2 billion in 2010, Rs1.5 billion in 2009, Rs1.22 billion in 2008, Rs1.34 billion in 2007, Rs1.22 billion in 2006 and Rs1.4 billion in 2005.

Cigarette smuggling in Romania grows to 15.7% in July

The cigarettes black market in Romania grew to 15.7 percent in July this year, with 3.9 percentage points more than the level reported in May, according to Novel Research.
“There may be multiple causes, such as seasonality, expectations about the excise, prices reduction on the black market while legal prices increased, and why not, demotivation of those called to enforce the law, due to lower wages and restructuring processes of the National Tax Administration Agency, the National Customs Authority and the Ministry of Interior”, said Gilda Lazar, director of corporate affairs & communications at JTI Romania.
In January, 2010, cigarettes smuggling went to a historical level of 36.2 percent, as a result of massive increases in excise on cigarettes. In 2010 the market fell to 22.7 billion legal cigarettes compared with 2009, while the illegal market grew by 8.7 billion cigarettes, representing 27 percent of total consumption.
The Romanian cigarette market in represented by the business of three international companies – British American Tobacco, Philip Morris, and JTI.

Cigarettes Hurt Women's Hearts More than Men's

Women who smoke have a greater risk of developing coronary artery disease than men who smoke, a large systematic review and meta-analysis showed.

Compared with nonsmokers, women smokers have a 25% greater relative risk of coronary heart disease than do men who smoke, independent of other cardiovascular risk factors, reported Rachel R. Huxley, DPhil, from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, and Mark Woodward PhD, from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

The relative risk increased by 2% for every additional year of study follow-up, which "lends support to the idea of a pathophysiological basis for the sex difference," according to the study published online in The Lancet.

"For example, women might extract a greater quantity of carcinogens and other toxic agents from the same number of cigarettes than men. This occurrence could explain why women who smoke have double the risk of lung cancer compared with their male counterparts," the researchers wrote.

"What makes the realization that women are at increased risk worrisome is that the tobacco industry views women as its growth market," wrote Matthew A. Steliga, MD, and Carolyn M. Dresler, MD, from the University of Arkansas in Little Rock, in an accompanying commentary.

And while there has been a reduction of smoking prevalence in men, "the rise or even stabilization of smoking in women will unfortunately result in substantial, preventable coronary heart disease morbidity and mortality."

Huxley and Woodward said that results from previous studies varied, which makes it difficult to establish "whether any reported sex differences between these studies is real or an artifact of methodological differences."

They therefore searched the literature and identified 26 articles (86 cohort studies) that included 3,912,809 individuals and 67,075 fatal and nonfatal coronary heart disease events.

In all, 39 cohorts were from Asia, 22 from the U.S., 16 from Europe, and nine from Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific islands.

The dates of the studies ranged from 1966 to 2010, with a mean follow-up duration that spanned five to 40 years. Researchers divided their analyses into several groups depending upon study characteristics.

In one analysis of 2.4 million participants (75 cohort studies) that adjusted for cardiovascular risk factors other than coronary heart disease, the relative risk of developing coronary artery disease for women who smoked versus men who smoked was 1.25 for women (95% CI 1.12 to 1.39, P<0·0001).

Man Arrested For Stealing Thousands In Cigarettes

Deputies in Laurel County arrested a man Thursday evening, and charged him in connection with the theft of $4,000 worth of cigarettes.

The Laurel County Sheriff's Department says Gabriel Carmical, 34, of Harlan County, took three cases of cigarettes from Murphy Oil in North Corbin while employees were inside stocking. One of the employees managed to get a license tag number. Deputies tracked the car to Harlan County where they arrested Carmical and charged him with theft.

Monday’s medical myth: hookahs are less harmful than cigarettes

After decades of successful anti-tobacco campaigns, we’re all familiar with the risks of smoking. But how do the health harms of cigarettes compare with those of other smoking devices?

The hookah, also known as the shisha or waterpipe, is one such device dating back to sixteenth century Persia and India.

These days, the common form of hookah consists of a bowl where tobacco is placed and heated by a piece of charcoal, which sits on top.

The smoke produced goes down a tube and is passed through water before being inhaled through the mouthpiece of a hose or pipe. As the smoker inhales, air is drawn into the charcoal bowl, which helps the tobacco smoulder.

The water is meant to cool and filter the smoke.

The myth that smoking using a hookah is safer than smoking cigarettes is based on the false belief that the water filters dangerous chemicals out of the smoke before it’s inhaled through the mouth and into the lungs.

It was thought that water rendered the smoke harmless. But despite being passed through water, the smoke from the hookah contains similarly high levels of carcinogens, heavy metals and carbon monoxide that are found in cigarette smoke.

Although some nicotine may be absorbed by the water, the hookah smoker is still inhaling sufficient quantities to cause addiction.

And any decrease in nicotine consumption that comes with smoking a hookah over a cigarette may simply result in the user smoking more and therefore being exposed to higher levels of cancer-causing chemicals.

In fact, hookah smoking is actually likely to be more dangerous than cigarette smoking because it’s commonly associated with more frequent puffing, deeper inhalation and longer smoking sessions.

Each hookah session typically lasts over 40 minutes, during which the smoke is inhaled 50 to 200 times.

Over a one-hour session, this would equate to the smoker inhaling 100 to 200 times the amount of smoke inhaled from a single cigarette.

Further, hookahs are often smoked by groups in cafes and restaurants where the mouthpiece is shared. This raises the possibility of transmitting infectious diseases such as hepatitis or tuberculosis.

Not only can the social context of this type of smoking attract young smokers, who wouldn’t otherwise be attracted to cigarettes, but additives mixed with the tobacco may give the smoke more appealing smells and flavours.

Unfortunately, the inhalation of second-hand smoke is also more of a problem where hookahs are used because not only does the smoke contain cancer-causing chemicals from the tobacco but it also mixes with the smoke from the charcoal being used to burn the tobacco.

The disease outcomes from smoking hookahs are the same as with cigarette smoking, which increases your risk of developing a range of cancers including those of the mouth and head and neck, lung, bladder and stomach, along with chronic lung disease, cardiovascular disease, decreased fertility and for women who smoke during pregnancy, babies with a low birth weight.

More research is needed to investigate the prevalence of smoking hookahs, along with the health consequences and how best to manage addiction in this setting.

But it’s already clear that hookahs require regulation and health warnings like any other smoking device.

By no means in this a safe form of smoking so we can definitely lay this myth to rest.

Can a Cigarette Company Be Green?

The Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company is catching flack for an advertising campaign touting the "eco-friendly" nature of its cigarettes.

The company, which is owned by Reynolds American, says its green credibility is deserved because it purchases 100% wind power and roughly 75% of company staffers drive hybrid vehicles. in 2010, it was a member of the US Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Leadership Club, and it earned ISO 14001 environmental certification for its Santa Fe headquarters.

Some environmental and health advocates say it's inherently wrong to call a cigarette green because of its dangerous health effects.

"This is yet another attempt by a tobacco company to downplay how deadly and addictive cigarettes truly are, this time by marketing a cigarette brand as environmentally friendly," says the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "Consumers should not be deceived: There is nothing healthy or environmentally responsible about Natural American Spirit cigarettes or any cigarettes."

Past ad campaigns have touted that Santa Fe cigarettes are additive-free and made with organic tobacco. In 2000, the Federal Trade Commission filed a deceptive advertising complaint and reached a settlement that required Santa Fe to add a disclaimer to its packages and advertising stating, "No additives in our tobacco does NOT mean a safer cigarette."

In 2010, attorney generals from 33 states and the District of Columbia, led by California, reached an agreement requiring Santa Fe to add a disclaimer stating, "Organic tobacco does NOT mean a safer cigarette."

Environmental groups also note that cigarette litter is a serious issue. According to research published in Tobacco Control, at least 5.6 trillion cigarettes are discarded into the environment worldwide each year. They are the most common debris collected from beaches and inland waterways during Ocean Conservancy's annual International Coastal Cleanup - two million were pikced up in 2010. Virginia Cigarette butts contain heavy metals that can leach into waterways, posing a threat to aquatic life.

These green ads began running in magazines such as Wired, Elle, Mother Jones and Marie Claire earlier this year.

Bellevue police seek cigarette-stealing robber

Bellevue police hope to find a suspect in a July 28 armed robbery at a gas station there.

At 9 p.m., the man, armed with a pistol, threatened a clerk at a Shell station at 1680 145th Place S.E., according to a police statement.

The robber cleaned out the cash register and tried to open the station safe before stealing several packs of cigarettes and fleeing.

The man, whose photo was circulated to media on Tuesday, is described as a black man between the ages 25 and 30. He 5 feet 8 inches to 6 feet tall, and weighs between 150 and 170 pounds.

7 retailers sold cigarettes to minors

Sheboygan County retailers have sold cigarettes to minors seven times this year, resulting in three citations, according to local law enforcement and a state anti-tobacco group.

The Wisconsin Wins program had minors attempt 40 purchases in the county, the group said Monday. Local law enforcement reports three citations were issued as a result of the attempts, which were done in cooperation with re:TH!NK, the Lakeshore Tobacco Prevention Network.

The group also attempted purchases in Manitowoc, Door, Kewaunee and Winnebago counties. Sheboygan County's compliance rate of 17.5 percent was worst among the five counties.

"No one wants to see youth getting their hands on tobacco," said Jason Laurin, assistant coordinator of re:TH!NK. "It's great to see that many of our local tobacco retailers are educated and concerned about not selling to minors. But we've still got work to do to help reduce youth access to and use of tobacco products."

Sheboygan County improved over last year, when nine of 62 attempted sales were completed, for a rate of 14.5 percent. That was a huge jump from 2009, when only 3.8 percent of sales were completed.

Three retailers were cited June 23 — Citgo, 211 W. Main St., Glenbeulah; Mobil, 127 Edgewood Ave., Adell; and Citgo, N511 Highway 57, Random Lake, according to the Sheboygan County Sheriff's Department.

Warnings were issued to retailers in Plymouth on March 16 and in Random Lake on June 23. Law enforcement records show no action was taken for violations May 19 in Sheboygan and June 23 in Elkhart Lake.

Laurin said those making the purchases advise law enforcement of all sales to minors.

Manitowoc County retailers sold cigarettes nine times out of 78 attempts, Winnebago County retailers sold twice out of 67 attempts and Door and Kewaunee county retailers had no violations. The group said the non-compliance rate across the five counties was down from 9.6 percent in 2010 to 8.1 percent from January through July of this year.

A press release noted that the Wisconsin Wins investigations may be reduced or eliminated because the state's Tobacco Prevention and Control Program is facing a 22.4 percent cut in funding.

Coffee and Cigarettes: Seahawks Links for Thursday

New Seahawks left tackle Robert Gallery and fellow Raider's ex-pat Zach Miller will be a huge help in translating former Oakland coach Tom Cables run schemes to the field. Marshawn Lynch should have a solid year. Photo by Jeffrey Beall. My Take: Tom Cable, Robert Gallery, and Zach Miller all in Seattle this year. No coincidence, whatsoever. I’m thinking Marshawn Lynch will have enough of the 2010 Raiders running game going for him that he should have more success in 2012. Cable is regarded as a heck of a line coach and I believe it after what he did to open gargantuan holes for Darren McFadden last year. Gallery and Miller should figure prominently in at least giving Lynch a crease. In Lynch’s case, that’s all he really needs. In contrast to his career thus far, those creases will probably look like craters.

Buy Viceroy cigarettes online for discount price.

National Football Post: Are the Seahawks Flying South? Considering the pass-friendly NFL rules, that position is perhaps the most important in the league. It gives a team the best chance to disrupt a pass offense. Pierre Allen, Red Bryant, Chris Clemons, Jarrett Crittenton, Dexter Davis, Lazarius Levingston, A.J. Schable and Jimmy Wilkerson — a middling crop — are the 4-3 defensive ends on the current Seahawks roster.

Stolen carton of cigarettes ends in employee death

As friends and family tell it, you'd just as likely find Brody Koga playing Facebook games online with nieces and nephews as you'd see him watching a movie alone in the theater.
They never thought he would die trying to chase down a stolen pack of cigarettes.
"You don't want this for anybody,” said Jackie Belles, one of Koga's co-workers at the Rite Aid on Southeast 256th Street in Kent. "But it was just so sad because Brody out of all people didn't deserve this. He was a really good person."
Koga, 52, from SeaTac, was someone who kept to himself and seemed to like it that way.
"Brody was a guy everyone liked but nobody really knew," said Steve Shiromizu, his brother-in-law.
"He was real sweet and anyone who knows him would say the same thing," said Belles.
So it came as a surprise to many on Thursday evening when Koga, the store assistant manager, decided to chase down a shoplifter who had stolen a pack of cigarettes.
It came as a complete shock that those were his last conscious moments alive.
During the chase, the suspect ran out the front door and towards an adjacent parking lot. As he pursued, Koga toppled over some bushes atop a retaining wall behind the store.
Kent Police said he fell several feet down, struck his head hard, and had to be transported to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition.
Investigators said it was unclear if the shoplifter had any direct involvement in the fall. A Rite Aid spokesperson said they are working with police and offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the capture and conviction of the suspect.
On Sunday, relatives said Koga had been pronounced brain dead and that they have made plans to donate his organs.
"It was so quick and it's not something that you think would happen," said Belles. "I was just on the phone with him half an hour before it happened... It seems really unreal."
Koga had lived in the Seattle area for the last 25 years, said relatives, after moving away from his family in Lodi, Calif.

Whittier council OKs second hookah bar

It's taken Umar Sohrab of Glendora about six months, but after City Council approval earlier this week he hopes to open the city's second hookah bar.

His new business will operate at Serenity Plaza, 6518 Greenleaf Ave., and is expected to open in about two months, Sohrab said.

"I'm really happy because of all of the time and money invested in the project," said Sohrab. "From the get-go, I had a good feeling they would approve me."

Sohrab, who now manages his brother's GNC store at the Whittwood Towne Center, said he wanted to open a hookah bar because he frequents them and thinks a second one will do well in Whittier.

"They're always packed," he said. "The profit margin should be good. Whittier's a large city and there's just one here. A lot of the surrounding cities don't have hookah bars. I thought there might be an opportunity to create a new one."

Sohrab, 22, applied to the city in January and the Planning Commission approved it June 6.

But he had to wait until Tuesday to get a hearing from the City Council after Mayor Cathy Warner asked for review of the item.

Warner said she had concerns about the business.

"I wanted to review the city's ordinance and the parameters of the conditional-use permit," she said.

"The nature of the business is not one I care for," she said. "(But) that's not the issue. Is the business legally permitted and has the business owner followed all of the steps and regulations?"
Warner said once she determined the answers were yes, she voted for it.

It was her vote, along with council members Owen Newcomer and Greg Nordbak, that provided the necessary votes to approve the bar.

Councilman Bob Henderson had to recuse himself because his insurance agency is near the site of the bar and Councilman Joe Vinatieri voted "present," the same as an abstention.

Vinatieri said there are certain types of businesses in Whittier he will never support.

"I won't support a medical marijuana clinic and I won't support a massage parlor," he said. "I'm not pro-business for everything that wants to open up in Whittier because we have standards and want to be as family-friendly as possible."

Nordbak said he saw no reason to object to the business.

"We have been preaching for two years to support business in our community," he said.

"It's hypocritical not to allow a new business in our community because we don't do it or approve of it," Nordbak said. "I don't like hookah bars and don't approve of the concept but it's in compliance with our Uptown Specific Plan."

Vinatieri also objected because a 2009 study found that hookah is associated with more carbon monoxide and nicotine exposure than cigarettes.

Sohrab said he doesn't think that's true.

"I don't think it's worse than cigarettes," he said. "I'm not saying it's harmless."

Smoking a hookah is different from cigarettes because it's a mixture of tobacco, honey and vegetable glycerin, he said.

"When you're smoking a cigarette, it's dried tobacco," Sohrab said. "(Hookah) slows down the burning rate because you're not consuming the toxins of tar and ash."

Backlash Against Cigarette Manufacturer's "Green" Marketing Campaign

The Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company has come under fire for the introduction of its ‘eco-friendly' cigarettes. Beyond questioning whether or not cigarettes can ever truly be ‘green,' the ads for these cigarettes have environmentalists up in arms because of the way they divert attention from the very unhealthy reality of the company's actual product.

Prescription-only cigarettes 'not the way'

A proposal to make tobacco a prescription-only drug is causing fierce debate.

Its backer, Auckland councillor Arthur Anae, says the idea can work, given the Government's goal to make New Zealand smokefree by 2025.

Anae, also chair of Counties Manukau DHB's Pacific Advisory Committee, says New Zealand needs to start thinking outside the box.

"We have to come up with ideas to try to reach that target," he said. "The only way is if we are serious and if we want to stop it, make smokers get a prescription, as they do for a drug."

The former National MP said with a prescription, tobacco becomes needs-based and the doctor has the ultimate say on whether the patient really needs it or not.

But the Council for GPs and anti-smoking campaigners say shifting responsibility from the Government to the medical profession is not the way to make New Zealand smokefree.

"Asking doctors to make that decision - to give them something that they know is likely to kill the patient - I think is a very tough thing to ask them to do," said Ben Youden from Ash.

He said the health service would "grind to a very rapid halt" from having such a responsibility.

Smokers ONE News spoke to also said the idea is a step too far.

"I don't think it's anyone's right to do anything except for the smoker themselves," said Sinclair Allan.

Eating hot dogs as risky as smoking cigarettes?

Hot dogs are an American favorite and served in about 95 percent of the homes across the nation. Americans ate more than 16 billion hot dogs last year alone, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council. Roughly 1.1 million hot dogs were served up to hungry NASCAR fans at the speedway last year.

However, health officials say eating processed meat is a really bad idea because it can cause colon cancer. That’s the message leaders at the Cancer Project of the group Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) want to get out. PCRM installed the giant sign this week and the graphics are now drawing national attention.

It features an image of hot dogs sticking out of a cigarette pack with the skull and crossbones stamped on the front. - The billboard reads: “Warning: Hot dogs can wreck your health,” and directs race fans to www.CancerProject.org. “A hot dog a day could send you to an early grave,” said PCRM nutrition education director Susan Levin.

“Processed meats like hot dogs can increase your risk for diabetes, heart disease, and various types of cancer. Like cigarettes, hot dogs should come with a warning label that helps consumers understand the health risk.” A fresh look at the cancer risks by the American Institute for Cancer Research shows one 50-gram serving of processed meat (about the amount in one hot dog) consumed daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by more than 20 percent.

Those who regularly eat processed meats increase their risk for diabetes by about 41 percent. Cancer researchers also said that every year about 143,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer and approximately 53,000 die of it. “Hot dogs and all other processed meats should come with a warning label, like cigarettes do, to warn consumers of the health risks,” Levin said.

The new ""hot dog"" campaign was initiated by the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund after both organizations reached the conclusion that eating processed meats is as risky as smoking cigarettes.

Cigarette smoking causes an estimated 443,000 deaths each year, including approximately 49,400 deaths due to exposure to secondhand smoke.

People who smoke are up to six times more likely to suffer a heart attack than nonsmokers, and the risk increases with the number of cigarettes smoked.

Smoking also causes most cases of chronic lung disease. It also causes a host of other cancers including throat, mouth, nasal cavity, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, kidney, bladder, and cervix, and acute myeloid leukemia.

Hot Dog Facts:

- The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council said Americans consume on average about 60 hotdogs between the Memorial and Labor Day holidays. - During the Fourth of July, the nation enjoys about 150 million hot dogs, which is enough to stretch from Washington D.C. to California more than five times. - Chicago's O’Hare International Airport sells more hot dogs than any other location in the USA, over 2 million a year.

- A recent trend in the market shows companies are producing more nutritious hot dogs including the all-beef hot dog. Other new products may use poultry meat, which has inherently less fat, or meat substitutes, which have no fat at all. They are also making hot dogs with less sodium.

- Did you know?

Franklin D. Roosevelt, and his wife, Eleanor, wanting to introduce something truly American to the visiting King George VI of England and his queen, served the royal guests Nathan's hot dogs at a picnic at their estate in Hyde Park, New York on June 11, 1939. The press made a great deal about the hotdogs, and the picnic menu made the front page of The New York Times. The King was so pleased with ""this delightful hot-dog sandwich"" that he asked Mrs. Roosevelt for another one.

You better buy those cigarettes, but don’t you dare smoke them

I’m currently in my fourth or fifth relapse of smoking cigarettes. Apparently it takes most people nine goes before they can kick the habit for good, so I’m making good progress. Cigarette addiction is worse than heroin addiction. That’s also just what they say, I have no personal experience with this (although people have their suspicions about me I’m sure, some people are just naturally bone skinny, sallow skinned and weak alright?!).

I’m not trying to quit at the moment either. Generally you can tell my mood by my smoking. Boredom and stress are key factors, but there are other reasons too. Christopher Hitchens, Bill Hicks and Julian Casablancas to name-drop a few trendy examples. These guys are helpful when I’m quitting as well, as they all managed to quit the bastards later on in life.

Right now, smoking is enjoyable for me, important even. For reasons my own, I’ve decided, as an adult, to smoke what is (even if it shouldn’t be) a legal drug in this country.
However, when I hear that the Minister for Health James Reilly is considering legislation to ban smoking in cars with children present, and the possibility of later introducing a ban on smoking in cars altogether, I don’t take issue because I’m a smoker, I take issue because it’s completely unjustified and sensationalist. My problems with this are many, but the major one is this: your car is your private property. Just because you drive it in public doesn’t give the government any power to decide what you do in it, as long as you’re obeying all other laws and not endangering other drivers. If you think smoking makes you a danger to other drivers, then allow me to put forward the following suggestions for Minister Reilly to add to his legislation: coffee, radios, breakfast rolls, Red Bull, hands-free phones and children, for a start.
Now just to be clear, obviously smoking around children is bad form. Only a moron would light up in a car with children in the back, but unfortunate as it might be, it’s not a crime to be a moron. Common sense is all that’s necessary. I know Minister Reilly is attempting to do a good thing here, possibly building a stepping stone towards a ban on smoking in public places similar to that recently passed in New York, but the cynic in me wonders if he’s headline grabbing. How could the Gardaí possibly enforce this? Why would they want to? How much government control are we going to accept in our lives?
I hope common sense does prevail on this one and an alternative suggestion is put forward, such as more effective initiatives towards helping people to quit.
The great irony, of course, is that the exchequer relies heavily on cigarettes for tax revenue, over one billion euros annually. Oh yes, Big Brother is watching you, you better buy those cigarettes, but whatever you do, don’t you dare smoke them.