Smoking Cessation News & Features

Twenty-one states currently allow employers to refuse hiring if a person uses nicotine, and in 17 states testing for nicotine prior to hiring is legal.

The White House originally proposed a ban on flavored e-cigarettes -- thought to be especially enticing to teens -- back in September.  But since then, the Administration had seemed to bow to industry and political pressures and back away from such a ban.

The measure was supported by many tobacco and e-cigarette companies.

Just under 14% of American adults smoked cigarettes in 2018, a dramatic decline from the 42% adult smoking rate in 1965, according to researchers with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The White House's proposed move is not the first in the United States: About a third of states have already raised their sales age to 21. But federal law still puts the age at 18.

Researchers say use of e-cigarettes negatively affects risk factors for heart disease in ways similar to traditional tobacco cigarettes:

Juul has already stopped sales of its mango, creme, fruit and cucumber products, which account for 10% of its sales.

The researchers point to a higher prevalence of anxiety and depression in women, which might interfere with even the best intentions to kick the habit.

The maker of eight smokeless tobacco products known as snus can market them as being lower risk than regular cigarettes for giving users cancer, lung disease, and stroke, the FDA said Tuesday.

Currently, there is no national limit in the U.S., and some brands have nicotine levels several times higher than 20 milligrams per milliliter.

The researchers saw no evidence of tissue damage from lipids such as mineral oils, which until now have been a suspected cause of vaping-linked lung injuries.

CDC emphasizes it has still not zeroed in on a single cause, although chemical exposure is suspected.

Experts have long thought that an ex-smoker's risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure or death from heart disease returns to normal within five years.

The small study of healthy young adults discovered that even e-cigarettes without nicotine caused a short-lived drop in blood vessel function.

Four cases of severe lung injury possibly linked with vaping in Minnesota are similar to dozens of cases in Wisconsin and Illinois.

Cigarette packs would have to carry very large warning labels that would feature color photos that graphically illustrate the damage smoking can cause. It would be the most significant change to cigarette labels in more than 35 years.

Compared to other regions, those with tobacco-21 laws had a 39% decline in regular smoking among 18- to 20-year-olds who had previously experimented with cigarettes, a new study found.

There have been 118 more reports of e-cigarette users suffering seizures since the FDA first warned the public about the danger in April.

Possible vaping-related breathing problems have led to the hospitalization of 14 teens and young adults in Wisconsin and Illinois.

There will be no random testing for nicotine or tobacco. Workers hired after July 15 will be tested only for "reasonable suspicion."

Money Might Motivate Smokers to Quit Long Term By Robert PreidtHealthDay Reporter THURSDAY, July 18, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Financial rewards for quitting smoking do help smokers -- including pregnant women -- kick the habit and remain smoke-free, a new study confirms."Rewards, such as money or vouchers, have been used to encourage smokers to quit, and to reward them if they stay stopped. Such schemes have been used in workplaces, in clinics and hospitals, and within community programs," said study lead author Dr. Caitlin Notley. She's with Norwich Medical School of the University of East Anglia

Banning flavors and lowering nicotine levels in electronic cigarettes is a strategy that could backfire, a new study suggests.

Supporters believe the ban will reduce underage use of e-cigarettes, while critics say it will make it more difficult for adults to buy an alternative to regular cigarettes.

Women ages 18-49 who smoked had a more than 13 times higher chance of having a major heart attack than did those who didn't smoke. Men in this age group who smoked had an 8.6 times higher risk than nonsmokers.

The e-cigarette blast was strong enough to break bones and blow out teeth.