These new labels will be much larger, encompassing 75 percent of the products cover. Extremely graphic pictures will accompany these new labels.

These photographs will consist of various images pertaining to the severe heath risks sometimes encountered among long time smokers.

Reminiscent of anti-abortion extremist protesters these new government mandated labels will include images of a woman dying in her hospital bed to complications with lung cancer, a close up image of a diseased tongue and gums, as well as a post operation picture of a man with a hole in his throat.

With these new labels the Canadian government hopes to shock their audience into cessation of smoking.

Canada’s push for graphic anti-smoking labels

The study tracked smokers from 2002 to 2006 and found that 291,000 men and 229,000 women died each year from smoking related illnesses. Those numbers were higher than expected, especially for women, and greater than estimates put forth by the Centers for Disease Control. A separate study found that smoking more than 20 cigarettes per day increased the risk of mortality. The CDC reports that another 8.6 million people live with serious illnesses related to smoking.

One physician called the numbers “an epidemic,” saying ongoing measurement is needed to discover where the epidemic is going.

The average cost of a pack of cigarettes is $1.78; this tax cut would drop it down to $1.68. This bill was approved on Thursday morning and has been passed to the Senate.

Opponents of this bill say that it can cause the state to lose some of its revenue.

Others say it can enhance other services and goods.

Many are looking for the government to decrease the taxes on all products, not just cigarettes.

That will most likely not happen.

Some American States Cutting Cigarette Taxes

A new study reveals smoking causes an increased risk of developing breast cancer. The study evaluated the effects of smoking and second hand smoke on postmenopausal women.

Earlier research had dispelled any link between breast cancer and smoking, but because the number of women smokers reaching menopausal age increases the link has been established.

Juhua Luo of West Virginia University led the study published in the March 1st edition of BMJ. Researchers gathered information from 79,990 women between the ages of 50 and 79.

The women were all participants in the Women’s Health Initiative study. The participants were asked about their smoking habits and exposure to second hand smoke.

Researchers reveal that the women who smoked were 16 percent more likely to develop breast cancer. The risk dropped to 9 percent for the women who quit smoking.

Women who were exposed to second hand smoke during their childhood and throughout their adult lives were 32 percent more likely to develop breast cancer.

Women who began smoking during their teenage years had an increased risk of developing the cancer.

Experts agree this study gives enough definitive information to call for more, in-depth studies to determine the link between breast cancer and smoking.

Smoking Increases Risk Of Breast Cancer: Study

Victor San Martin, representative of the anti-smoking policy of the Paraguayan ministry, issued a statement which says that any individual or establishment that is not in accordance with the new law will be found guilty under the country’s Health Ministry.

No persons that are inside of shopping centers or restaurants are permitted to smoke, either. Anyone caught smoking will be punished to the highest level of the law.

The law did not take long to pass and everyone feels this will improve the health and well-being of the citizens who live, work, and play in the country.

Smoking has been banned in many other public places around the world but this ban is not really followed very strictly by people who enjoy smoking. It will take some time to find out if the new ban in Paraguay is successful in combating smoking. Warnings on cigarette and tobacco products have also not really curbed smoking, as there are people who still continue to smoke regardless of the health risks imposed.

Camel No. 9 cigarettes targeted female smokers right from the start. After the brand was introduced by R.J. Reynolds in 2007, it was aggressively promoted with a series of branded party events in clubs and bars around the country where women could come for free cigarettes, massages and swag bags containing berry-flavored lip balm, cellphone jewelry, purses and wristbands. A marketing campaign in the pages of such upscale magazines as Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Glamour soon followed.

These print ads were pulled in 2008, says David Howard, a spokesman for R.J. Reynolds, noting that teen smoking rates continued to fall even after the Camel No. 9 ad campaign was introduced.

But co-author John Pierce of the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California-San Diego points out that teens, who don’t smoke but who can identify cigarette ads, run a 50% higher risk of developing the habit. About 80% of all smokers smoked their first cigarette before the age of 18.

The survival apparently comes from the reduced chances of tumor recurrence and not from improved heart and lung conditions.

All the patients included in the study were early lung cancer patients and had been treated with either surgery, chemotherapy or radiation. Therefore, the study does not address the survival chances of a patient with advanced lung cancer if they cease smoking.

Since all the studies in this analysis were observational, it is not clear if quitting smoking is the reason for the decline in deaths. However, the findings show that smoking cessation counseling should be routinely offered to newly diagnosed lung cancer patients.

According to Amanda Parsons, a Ph.D. candidate at the U.K. Centre for Tobacco Control Studies at the University of Birmingham College of Medicine and Dentistry, smoking cessation support is not routinely offered but may be part of a support program in some hospitals.

Smokers Who Stop Smoking Double Chances of Cancer Survival: Study

“The results are quite dramatic. I don’t think anybody would have expected such a dramatic difference. It’s incredible,” said Dr. Norman Edelman, chief medical officer for the American Lung Association. “The important caveat is that this is early lung cancer.”

Lung cancer is the most diagnosed form of cancer in the world and the second most common diagnosed cancer in Britain coming in behind breast cancer. There are around 39,000 cases diagnosed yearly.

This is the first of studies that show that offering early stage lung cancer smoking cessation treatments may prove to be more beneficial than once thought.

Studies that were performed show that those who continued smoking after a lung cancer diagnosis had a much higher chance of death and tumor returning compared to those who were diagnosed and quit smoking. The five year survival rate was up to 70% of those who quit smoking compared to the 33% of those who continued to smoke.

“The message is you should never give up on giving up (smoking),” said Amanda Parsons, of the U.K. Centre for Tobacco Control Studies at the University of Birmingham, who led the study. “Even at the stage where you have been diagnosed with early stage lung cancer … if you give up smoking, your body can still partially recover and your risk is reduced,” she said.

With such strong findings many now can understand that it truly is never too late to quit smoking.

The study was paid for by the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research U.K. and other governmental bodies.

Smokers Can Double Cancer Survival If They Quit Smoking

A recent study has suggested that it is never too late to quit smoking.

Those who suffer from age-related macular degeneration can slow or stop the process by quitting smoking, even if they are 80 years old.

Macular degeneration(AMD) leads to blindness.

The study included 1958 women with an average age of 78 years. The study showed that the women who were smokers and under the age of 80, had an increased risk of developing AMD by 11 percent than those who did not smoke. Those over 80 were 5.5 times more likely to develop AMD. The amount of alcohol consumed also increased the chances the elderly women would develop AMD.

The study will be published in the American Journal of Opthamology and was led by Anne L. Coleman of UCLA. AMD is the leading cause of blindness in Americans over the age of 65 with smoking as the number two cause of AMD, age is the first.

Smoking Increases Risk Of Blindness In Old Age

There are a large number of states which have already instituted some sort of smoking ban.

The surprising thing about the latest state to let a smoking ban go into effect is the fact that it is the state of North Carolina.

North Carolina is the country’s largest tobacco producer. This smoking ban was passed despite the lobbying efforts of the likes of Phillip Morris among others. Some people are protesting the law because it makes exceptions for certain clubs.

The state of Virginia which also has an economy that is heavily dependent upon tobacco is going to have a law much like the one in North Carolina go into effect in January as well. There are currently twenty five states in the union that have banned smoking in bars. There are twenty nine states that have banned smoking in other places.

The variance in the amount of fines handed out by each state can be quite significant. Health organizations are cracking down on dangerous and unhealthy behavior all around the country. States are also using an increase in tobacco taxes as a quick way to make up for some budget shortfalls.

North Carolina Begins Smoking Baan