Smokers

Given the well-known health hazards associated with smoking, it should come as no surprise that most people who take up the habit do so at an early age. About 90 percent of smokers start before 18, and a significant number of those begin lighting up for the first time at 13 or under. That's obviously too young to make informed decisions about a potentially lethal, lifelong habit. That's why the Food and Drug Administration's first act as a regulator of tobacco was a good one: banning sweet, fruit- and candy-flavored cigarettes.

Living fast and dying young has long been part of rock 'n' roll lore. And now there are statistics that affirm the image, according to a study released Tuesday. Researchers at Liverpool John Moores University, whose report appeared in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, studied a sample of North American and British rock and pop stars and concluded they are more than twice as likely to die prematurely as ordinary citizens of the same age. The team studied 1,064 stars from the rock, punk, rap, R&B, electronic and New Age genres in the All Time Top 1,000 albums published in 2000.

Want to get out of jury duty? Take up smoking. U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz has suggested keeping smokers off the jury in the Tommy Bromwell RICO case. His concern: Jurors stepping outside the courthouse for smoke breaks might overhear conversations among all the spectators and journalists swarming around the high-profile trial. "It's just a potential risk. It's just something to think about," Motz told me. Motz said he got the idea from another judge he met at a conference.

Just in time for stop-smoking season, a string of studies during the past six weeks shows that half-steps such as cutting back or exercising are no substitute for the real thing: quitting. First, new research shows that cutting a pack-a-day cigarette habit in half - a common step by people who can't go all the way - does not reduce the risk of dying prematurely, likely because smokers puff more deeply to compensate. "It doesn't work? That's a disappointment," said Janet Lopez, 20, a smoker in Florida who cut back recently.

The New York Times said in an editorial Friday:THE $51.5 million judgment against Philip Morris Cos. by a California jury could well trigger a slew of individual lawsuits by people who have gotten sick or died from smoking. The $1.5 million in compensatory damages and $50 million in punitive damages awarded to a 53-year-old smoker who has inoperable lung cancer may still be overturned on appeal, as have verdicts in the past that have favored smokers.But many plaintiffs will be encouraged by this case and other recent developments.

Death rates from lung cancer could be greatly reduced if smokers and ex-smokers routinely underwent CT scans of their lungs, doctors are reporting today.The scans use a new technique that is far more sensitive than conventional chest X-rays and can detect tumors when they are small enough to be cured.Now, routine chest X-rays and other screening tests for lung cancer are not recommended, even for smokers, because the tests cannot identify tumors early enough to save or even prolong patients' lives.

BOSTON -- It's time once more to check in on the cigarette ads. After all, our heroes in the tobacco industry have such a remarkable instinct for survival -- corporate survival -- that they evolve with a speed that is the envy of Siberian tigers.In the real world, smokers have become outcasts, huddled together in doorways breathing carcinogens. In Washington, the administration is planning another massive suit and a hefty 55-cents-a-pack tax.But in the advertising world, beleaguered addicts are now portrayed as rebellious, smoke-in-your-face, risk-takers.

In its fiercest indictment of cigars yet, the U.S. government concludes in a long-awaited report that they can be just as lethal as cigarettes, a finding likely to spur new rules to restrict the sale and promotion of cigars.The government found that cigar smoking can cause cancers of the mouth, esophagus, larynx and lung. The report also said that regular cigar smokers who inhale have an increased risk of coronary heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.The government called the national boom in cigar smoking "disturbing" and the rise of teen-age usage "alarming."

On last year's Great American Smokeout, 11 million smokers -- 24 percent of them -- tried to kick the habit. Five days later, 2 million smokers reported that they were smoking less or not at all.Today, smokers can try it again. It's the 22nd annual Great American Smokeout, sponsored by the American Cancer Society.Out of 47 million smokers, 32 million want to quit, according to a 1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, released last ** year.Despite the various lawsuits against tobacco companies and the subsequent negative publicity, smoking among college students is up 28 percent, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported yesterday.

DON'T CRY FOR the tobacco industry. Despite the $368 billion settlement it agreed last year to pay, tobacco companies are far healthier than their customers: Forty-six million Americans risk health problems from smoking, and the overseas market promises enormous profits for the industry.In addition, as Sun reporter Alec Klein reports in a three-part series that concludes today, cigar makers have waged a stealth campaign to promote their products as the essence of cool, without mentioning -- or being required to mention -- the health hazards.

By now the dangers of smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke are so well established that hardly anyone disputes the risks they pose to public health and well-being. Every year some 390,000 Americans die from smoking-related illnesses, and tobacco contributes to 1 out of every 6 deaths annually in this country. That's why we applaud Towson University's decision last week to ban smoking everywhere on its campus. We only wonder why it took the university this long to take a step that so obviously benefits its students and the entire school community.

Given the well-known health hazards associated with smoking, it should come as no surprise that most people who take up the habit do so at an early age. About 90 percent of smokers start before 18, and a significant number of those begin lighting up for the first time at 13 or under. That's obviously too young to make informed decisions about a potentially lethal, lifelong habit. That's why the Food and Drug Administration's first act as a regulator of tobacco was a good one: banning sweet, fruit- and candy-flavored cigarettes.

WASHINGTON - Tobacco companies have manipulated menthol levels to attract young cigarette smokers and keep older ones, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health reported yesterday. Their finding, with which industry spokesmen disagree, is based on a review of more than 500 internal tobacco industry documents dated from 1985 through last year. Researchers say the documents showed that tobacco companies studied how controlling levels of menthol could increase brand sales. They concluded that new and young smokers liked mild menthol that masked the harshness of tobacco smoke.

The electronic mailbag runneth over, so to speak, with the observations, exhortations and ruminations of readers. Let's hear from the folks. Kathy Dodson of Baltimore was appalled that the General Assembly didn't take action to ban the all-too-common practice of driving while texting when it had a chance. The General Assembly members need to stop being stupid and/or stop taking bribes for their votes. They also probably do a lot of texting or their kids do, therefore do not want to ban texting.

For years, smokers have been exhorted to take the initiative and quit - use a nicotine patch, chew nicotine gum, take a prescription medication that can help, call a help line, just say no. But a new study finds that stopping is seldom an individual decision. Smokers tend to quit in groups, the study finds, which means smoking cessation programs should work best if they focus on groups rather than individuals. It also means that people may help many more than just themselves by quitting - quitting can have a ripple effect prompting an entire social network to break the habit.

Smoking causes lung cancer. That much is known. But three new studies published today suggest that genes might play a role in why some longtime smokers get the deadly disease and others do not. The scientists say these common genetic variations might also make smokers more likely to become addicted to tobacco and to smoke more cigarettes. The findings, which several experts said mark the first time that a genetic variation has been linked to lung cancer, could lead to a greater understanding of how smoking and genes interact to cause the disease.

Smokers who have long been harangued about the medical consequences of their habit have a new one to ponder: It might be harming their sleep. A new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine found that smokers are four times as likely as nonsmokers to report trouble sleeping and feeling rested the next day. Measurements of brain activity showed that they aren't experiencing as much deep sleep during the night, a possible side effect of...

Bea Elmore's boss was subtle, but his message was effective. Nearly two years ago, while Elmore was away from her desk, Judge Robert B. Kershaw of Baltimore Circuit Court placed on it a church brochure in which he had highlighted the word addiction.. Elmore, the judge's secretary, got the hint. A smoker for 36 years, she had tried to quit but failed many times. This time, she told herself, it was going to stick. It did, with a little help from a state-sponsored hot line - 800-QUIT-NOW - which provided her with free medication and counseling from a "quit coach," who taught her to deal with her cravings.

It's the time of year when people resolve to make changes in their lives. And we probably all know someone -- it might even be ourselves -- who vowed to quit smoking. We also all know someone who stopped for a few days then lit back up. Here's a closer look at one of the most difficult resolutions to keep: "I vow to quit smoking." According to a 2006 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 41 percent of smokers try to quit at least once during the year. But only about 10 percent actually succeed.

Living fast and dying young has long been part of rock 'n' roll lore. And now there are statistics that affirm the image, according to a study released Tuesday. Researchers at Liverpool John Moores University, whose report appeared in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, studied a sample of North American and British rock and pop stars and concluded they are more than twice as likely to die prematurely as ordinary citizens of the same age. The team studied 1,064 stars from the rock, punk, rap, R&B, electronic and New Age genres in the All Time Top 1,000 albums published in 2000.