According to the 2017 UN World Drug Report, 183 million people worldwide use cannabis and the trend is increasing, thus making cannabis by far the most used illegal drug. Cannabis is used in the form of marijuana (dried inflorescences and leaves), hashish (resin of flowers mixed with plant parts) or hashish oil (viscous extract from […] Read on...
Focus on Smoking
Philippines ban smoking
The Philippines has taken the bold and vital step in becoming entirely smoke-free. Their President Rodrigo Duterte has signed an Executive Order (EO) that bans across the whole nation, smoking in any public place, whether it be indoors or outside. The EO was signed on 16th May 2017. The EO states: “Public places means all […] Read on...
US Surgeon General: E-cigarettes are unsafe for young people
The US Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, America’s leading medical doctor, states that electronic cigarettes are unsafe, causes addiction to nicotine, harms brain development and exposes lungs to dangerous chemicals such as heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, ultrafine particles, and diacetyl, a chemical linked to serious lung disease [1]. E-cigarettes are targeted at children […] Read on...
Switzerland: New Federal Act on tobacco products
On December 8th the Swiss National Council is going to vote on the proposal of the Federal Council regarding the new Federal Act on tobacco products. According to this Act, tobacco product manufacturers will no longer be allowed to advertise in newspapers, on posters, in cinemas or online portals. Distribution of free samples or sponsoring […] Read on...
Teenagers who use electronic cigarettes are six times more likely to start smoking tobacco cigarettes
Electronic cigarettes have exploded onto the market with millions of users worldwide. E-cigarette manufacturers and even anti-tobacco groups claim that these devices are almost harmless and that e-cigarettes help people quit smoking [1]. But the emerging evidence is contrary. In the United States of America, a recent study published in the journal Pediatrics shows that […] Read on...
Electronic cigarettes cause similar damage to lungs as tobacco cigarettes
It is now becoming conclusive that electronic cigarettes are harmful to health. Though there is much debate in the media and anti-smoking pressure groups about the health effects of e-cigarettes, more and more research is showing the harm e-cigarettes cause. In a just-published study in the Journal of Respiratory Research, a study1 conducted by scientists […] Read on...
World No Tobacco Day 2016: Worldwide plain packaging
Plain tobacco packaging or standardised packaging means the removal of all branding (colours, imagery, corporate logos and trademarks) from the pack. Manufacturers are only allowed to print the brand name at a prescribed size, font and place on the pack, in addition to the health warnings and any other legally mandated information.1 19669 Read on...
Smoking when pregnant causes baby to writhe in distress
4-D ultrasound scans of fetuses show that babies writhe in the womb when their mother smokes; a non-smoking mother’s baby does not. 13891 Read on...
What will it take to create a tobacco-free world?
The Lancet launches a campaign for a tobacco-free world by 2040. As a contrast to the extraordinary growth of the tobacco industry, especially in the Middle East and Africa, the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) presents the case for an ambitious new global tobacco control goal – a world essentially free of tobacco […] Read on...
A ground-breaking decision – Smoke-free zones piloted in England to protect children
The city of Bristol in south-west England has turned two squares that are very popular with families with young children into smoke-free zones. 13674 Read on...
