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• Woman Sued For Smoking In Her Own Home

  Look, I am no fan of cigarette smoking, and it's not allowed in my house - which means my mother, who visits every couple of months from Florida, has to huddle on the front porch during the long winter months to get her fix.  Still, I'm not sure how I feel about the New York City couple who sued their neighbor, Galila Huff, claiming her cigarette smoke spread into the hallway of their apartment building, making it "smell like a casino," and endangering the health of their son.   Read More... Posted Apr 11 2008, 01:35 PM by asflutz with | with 7 comment(s) Filed under: smoking, neighbors, Galila Huff, Aerus, Selbin, air-filtration systems

• Dad's Monkey is Mom's Monkey, Too

  In theory, kicking your substance of choice -- whether that is booze, smokes or something more illegal -- should be a piece of cake. Just stop doing it, right? The reality of quitting is a completely different beastie.  But cleaning up is even more important when there is a small person in the works. Read More... Posted Mar 23 2008, 03:00 PM by Adrienne Martini with | with no comments Filed under: drinking, cigarettes, smoking, Seattle, science, pot, alcoholism

• When Bad Things Happen to Good Peeps

  Mama peep smoked a few times while pregnant.  She admits it now.  Maybe it was the pressure to keep her girlish figure, or all that talk of keeping her nerves calm.  Whatever the case, she admits that pack wasn't a good idea... She thinks she is responsible for her baby's smoking habit...     Read More... Posted Mar 23 2008, 09:11 AM by Rachael Brownell (Redsy) with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: smoking, easter, peeps, drinking during pregnancy

• Cigarettes in Kids Movies, In Life, at Grandma's

  I can kind of sympathize with Eric Alterman's rage in this post on Media Matters. He's pissed because he took his two 9-year-olds to see "Definitely, Maybe" which, according to him, wound up being cigarette porn instead of a nice father-daughter family flick. He says the movie glamorized smoking, especially for young females, and also made it appear to be easy to kick the habit. Also:   Read More... Posted Feb 28 2008, 03:34 PM by Madeline Holler with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: teens, smoking, tweens, Smoking prevention, teen life, adult play, tween, teen trends, teen smoking, teenager, teen, adult movies

• Wha? Smoking NOT Bad During Pregnancy?

  I've often complained about how pregnant women are given all kinds of conflicting information and told not to do all kinds of things, even when the evidence against such things is dubious. There seems to be an all-or-nothing approach to pregnancy dangers, which makes it hard for pregnant women to engage in any activity without feeling guilty or anxious (I suppose it's practice for new motherhood.) However, even I was pretty floored by a new study by the London School of Economics that says smoking during the first four months of pregnancy does almost no harm to the baby unless it is combined with other factors, and even after the first trimester the impact on birthweight is negligible. Um, excuse me? The study looked at birthweight, and the researchers basically said the greatest risks are to women...   Read More... Posted Feb 15 2008, 03:02 PM by Kelly Mills with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: pregnancy, research study, alcohol, cigarettes, smoking, miscarriage, health risks, low birthweight, health and kids, SIDS, fetus, poor diet, low socio-economic status, middle class

• Nigeria Goes After Big Tobacco

  Those feisty Nigerians!  First they sue Pfizer, for the ticky-tacky oversight of testing drugs on Nigerian children without their parents' consent.  Now the government is suing three major tobacco companies for, among other things, aggressively targeting Nigerian kids in their advertising.   Heavens to Betsy!  Could this mean that Africans are tired of being the go-to continent for everything banned or restricted in the western world?   Read More... Posted Jan 14 2008, 08:51 AM by asflutz with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: smoking, Phillip Morris, Nigeria, Big Tobacco

• No More Hotboxing Your Kids in Nova Scotia

  So while American states are screwing around, spending their anti-tobacco money on hookers and booze, Nova Scotia passed a new law yesterday that will ban smoking in vehicles with children under the age of 19. Not smoking with the children under 19, I mean. Let's say you want to smoke, and you're in a car in Nova Scotia with children under 19. You won't be able to ask them for a cigarette. Wait, that's not right either. By the way, "Children Under 19" would make a good band name, wouldn't it? Okay, just read the article. Canada hates smoking. The new law will likely be enforced by police in their cute little red outfits and hats, though I'd like to see a mountie chase down a car on his moose, especially a car where all the children under 19 are smoking. The provincial law is based on laws passed in the Nova Scotia town of Wolfville, Bangor, Maine, Arkansas, Louisiana, and California. Read More... Posted Dec 14 2007, 07:23 AM by Matt Wood with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: smoking, Canada

• Connecticut Laughs At Your Federal Recommendations, Blows Smoke In Your Face

  Of all the scary things that my kid could get himself into, I think smoking worries me the most. It's so insidious; even with all the crackdowns on smoking in public places and health studies, it still seems like a rather normal part of our culture, not like, say, being a crackhead or a meth head. And I'm sorry, even though I know full well that smoking is a one-way ticket to every kind of health problem, it still looks cool. Okay, maybe not on that kid over there, but in most cases. Understandably, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends pretty hefty minimum spending levels on state tobacco prevention programs every year, but a new report by the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids shows that only three states---Maine, Delaware, and Colorado--spend that minimum amount. And Delaware doesn't even really count. Read More... Posted Dec 13 2007, 07:24 AM by Matt Wood with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: smoking

• Pregnant? Don't Smoke if You Want to Be a Grandma Someday

  Okay, so maybe you're not all that anxious to be a grandparent yet, and I can't blame you, but you'd like to think those future generations are at least possible, right? It turns out that if you're pregnant and you smoke, or if youre pregnant and you used to smoke, or if you're breastfeeding and you smoke, then the fertility of your daughter may be in jeopardy. Damn. Read More... Posted Nov 25 2007, 03:47 PM by Karen Murphy with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: pregnancy, smoking, mice, smoking in pregnancy, future generations

• Most SIDS in U.K. Due to Smoking During Pregnancy

  Is there anything cigarettes can’t do? Cancer. Emphysema. Low birth weight babies. Brown teeth. Such multi-taskers, these tobacco-packed sticks of heaven/hell. Score another point for the downside of tobacco. A new study has determined that smoking during pregnancy causes 90 percent of the SIDS cases in the U.K. of newborns to four-month-olds. Read More... Posted Oct 15 2007, 04:32 PM by Madeline Holler with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: pregnancy, smoking, Smoking prevention, SIDS, U.K. moms

• California to Drivers: No Smoking Around Kids

  Nothing takes me back to childhood more than the smell of a freshly lit cigarette. I spent countless hours of the first 16 years of my life sealed inside a Buick with my father, who would puff away on pack after pack of Winston Lights. Ashes settled like snowflakes in my hair, fiery airborne cherries burned holes in my shirts, the turbid, smoky air burrowed deep into the fibers of my winter coats, creating memories like Proustian cookies. Read More... Posted Oct 11 2007, 03:47 PM by Madeline Holler with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: driving, laws, smoking, health and kids, secondhand smoke

• Kids (Still) Get Their Smokes From Convenience Stores

  It comes as no surprise to me that a tenth of cigarette sales at gas station convenience stores are to minors under the age of 18. After all, where else are they going to get them from?  Seriously, I guess it's pretty easy for kids to avail themselves of cigarettes these days. It was for the kids I knew, too, that and alcohol. Someone always knew a way, and at the time I never thought to question it. But as my older son heads toward teenhood I have to wonder: what are we doing to keep our kids from smoking? Once they do, it's often hard to stop. I know someone in his 50's who's been smoking for over FORTY YEARS. [cough] I don't want this for my kids, you know? Beyond educating in the home and setting an example and all yada yada yada, what is there to do? There are already laws and all in place, and I'm not so enamored with the idea of creating more. Can we stop making tobacco so attractive to people, maybe? And start exposing it for the drug that it is? I think that's a huge first step. (By the way, if you smoke and you want to quit, here's a place to start. And I wish you luck and strength; it's not easy. Posted Jul 11 2007, 07:56 AM by Karen Murphy with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: cigarettes, smoking, kids smoking

• Kids Can become Hooked on Cigarettes Within 2 Days of First Puff

  I remember my first cigarette. I was about, what, 16? 17? and something prompted me to put a handful of quarters in the cigarette machine (remember those?) in the donut shop where I worked and buy a pack. I lit one up at the back of the store, took a drag, and nearly passed out. Which pretty much ended that. Yeah. Lightweight. That's me. But apparently those things are addictive! True! And especially to our kids, which is especially distressing. In fact, a new study says that 10% of kids who try smoking become hooked after two days of first trying one. 25% are hooked within a month. True? That's horrible. The study also says that even kids who only smoke a few cigarettes a month suffer withdrawal symptoms when they stop. What are we doing to our kids?  I know it's hard to stop smoking, just as it's hard to end any sort of addiction. But cant we find a way to keep our kids from even starting? Posted Jul 06 2007, 09:54 AM by Karen Murphy with | with no comments Filed under: kids, health, smoking, addiction, Smoking prevention

• Smoker Dads May Have Damaged Sperm

  Potentially creating a mutant with every puff: chain-smoking mice were studied and found to be creating mutated DNA in their sperm. Yikes. Of course, when I think about mouse DNA, I always make the automatic leap to people DNA (or not), but perhaps these people who run studies know what they're talking about. And it sounds pretty serious: "If inherited, these mutations persist as irreversible changes in the genetic composition of offspring." Of course, moms have been blamed for years about things like this, so it's only fair that dads take their share, but this is awfully guilt-inducing, don't you think? At any rate, if you're a smoker and want to be a daddy, you might want to think about your choices. It won't be long anyway before your kid wants a pack of Barbie Camels; why hasten things by providing a role model? Posted Jun 04 2007, 10:25 AM by Karen Murphy with | with no comments Filed under: health, babies, cigarettes, smoking, genetics, studies, mice, mutations, Barbie Camels

• Smoking in Movies Will Affect Ratings

  Whatever you think about the Motion Picture Association of America and its seemingly arbitrary ranking system, the group announced today that smoking in a movie will now affect its rating. In the past, illegal teen smoking (and other parental concerns like sex and violence) has played a part in how the MPAA rates movies. The organization said that it is now expanding their criteria to include all smoking when evaluating a film and assigning a rating. "Now, all smoking will be considered and depictions that glamorize smoking or movies that feature pervasive smoking outside of an historic or other mitigating context may receive a higher rating." This is considered a victory for child advocacy groups and health organizations, but what irks me is how many actors and actresses in Hollywood smoke. Young celebs like Britney Spears, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Metcalfe, Lindsay Lohan, and Sienna Miller, are often snapped with cigarettes in hand. That's real life, and how kids feel about their "role models" smoking concerns me far more than smoking in movies. But that's a post for another day.  Posted May 10 2007, 07:04 PM by Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: anti-smoking, smoking, Smoking prevention, MPAA, movie ratings, role models

• Smoking During Pregnancy Can Lead to Heart Problems When Baby's Grown Up

  A new Dutch report says that pregnant women who smoke can cause permanent damage to their child's circulatory system, increasing risks for heart disease and stroke later in life.  Yikes!  This is in addition to what we already knew about risks of compromised intrauterine growth and low birth weight.  732 people born between 1970 and 1973 were studied, and it was found that at the age of 30, the adult children of the 215 mothers who smoked during their pregnancy had thicker walls of the carotid arteries in the neck (an early sign of atherosclerosis) compared with adult children whose mothers didn't smoke.  What about the fathers?  Turns out, their smoking has an effect as well:  if both parents smoked during pregnancy, by age 30, their children had thicker artery walls than people with one smoking parent or parents who did not smoke.  Which certainly reinforces the notion that secondhand smoke is harmful. The moral here:  Please, for your kids, don't smoke around them, both in and out of the womb (the patch may be an alternative).   Posted Mar 06 2007, 06:21 AM by Karen Murphy with | with no comments Filed under: children, health, pregnancy, smoking, parents who smoke

• Pee Wee Herman Makes a Comeback? God I Hope So

  Dora's dull. Diego's dimwitted. The Wonderpets? Wimps. There's just no children's show like "Pee-Wee's Playhouse." And it may be coming back -- at least in movie form. In a recent San Francisco Chronicle article, Paul Reubens said the iconic show that offered lessons in childhood anarchy and not-so subtle gay subtexts (Cowboy Curtis does a mean "YMCA") could hit the silver screen in a more adult form. To which I say, it's about. freaking. time. I watched "Pee-Wee's Playhouse" with abandon. But because I was both too young and too stupid, I missed out on many of the wink-wink, nod-nod gags and characters that played havoc on Reagan-era conservatism at the time. Dixie the cab driver. Cowboy Curtis. Jambi the Genie. They might as well have went off with Dorothy in search of the Wizard. Now with a new era of conservatism, the time is ripe for a show that tells children it's OK to be a fat white lady and date your black neighbor or to "marry" a "fruit salad." I'm ready now -- and frankly, so is the country. Read More... Posted Jan 25 2007, 09:19 AM by Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: children, Celebrities, television, glbt, smoking, children's TV, gay, Pee-Wee's Playhouse, Paul Reubens

• Big Brother Attacks Smoking in Maine

  Police in Bangor, Maine, are going to be really really busy soon.  That's because a new municipal law has been passed there making it illegal to smoke in a vehicle when children are present, joining statewide laws already in effect in Louisiana and Arkansas and laws being considered elsewhere. Being a semi-militant ex-smoker myself, I wholeheartedly agree that smoking around children is bad for them and that people shouldn't do it, but also being something of a libertarian I'm having a problem with there being a yet another law passed that tells people yet again there is something they must not do.  Bangor City Councilor Patricia Blanchette said that "people who smoke with children present in the confined space of a car or truck might as well be deliberately trying to kill those children".  Well, there's an inflammatory statement (pun intended)!  I hardly think the thousands of people who smoke in their cars or homes with children present are attempting to kill them, but is this really the way to go about protecting our children from harm?  Making smoking in your own car a primary offense (which means you can be pulled over and fined if a police officer simply sees you smoking in your car with someone under 18 inside, not if you are pulled over for some other offense) seems, well, draconian.  Don't people have choice any longer?  Hey, if you want to shorten your own life and that of your kids, shouldn't that be okay?  Or should it?  Who gets to decide this? I tell you, I'm really having a problem with this issue.  I truly dislike smoking and don't want to be around smoke and I especially don't want anyone smoking around my children; however, I believe so fiercely in free choice and resisting government intervention that I have to say I have real trouble with this law and laws like them.  What about you?  Where do you draw the line in cases like this?  What's YOUR solution? Posted Jan 10 2007, 05:00 PM by Karen Murphy with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: children, health, smoking, draconian laws

• Pregnant and a Smoker? The Patch May Be a Safer Alternative

  Medical researchers at the University of Calgary in Alberta theorize that the nicotine patch may be a safer alternative for pregnant moms who smoke and won't quit.  Although tests haven't yet been performed on actual pregnant women who smoke, new preliminary research suggests that the low birthweight and risk of other health problems associated with babies whose mothers smoked through pregnancy may be due to the chemical additives (read: poisons!) present in cigarettes and not to the nicotine itself. So what happens when questionable science and the public's wish for there to be an easy solution to everything mix?  While this is potentially good news for babies of mothers too caught up in their own addiction to create a healthful growing environment for their baby-to-be, I'm afraid that even the suggestion that there someday might be research supporting the use of nicotine will lead smoking mothers to presume that they can just go right ahead and smoke during pregnancy.  After all, if the patch is okay, how bad can cigarettes be? Do I sound judgemental here?  You bet!  I was a smoker when I decided to begin trying to conceive my oldest child, and the minute I made that decision, the cigarettes went out the window.  There was no agonizing debate; it was simply the thing to do.  Thousands of women have done the same thing.  It has been said that a person can't quit smoking unless and until they find the "right" reason to do so, but what better reason is there than for the health of your unborn child?  Posted Jan 06 2007, 04:00 PM by Karen Murphy with | with no comments Filed under: health, pregnancy, smoking, nicotine patch, addiction

• Texas Foster Parents Not Allowed to Smoke Cigarettes in Front of Kids (Briskets and Ribs Okay)

  Texas is joining Vermont, Washington, and Maine in passing a new law stating that foster parents are not allowed to smoke in their homes or cars while children are present. The law takes effect on January 1, the same day that a buck-a-pack tax hike goes into effect. Personally, I could give a rip about smokers feeling like their civil rights are being violated, I'm all for laws that keep second-hand smoke away from our country's most vulnerable children. Critics say that the state shouldn't "tighten foster parent eligibility when an increasing number of children need help." They say the law will discourage people from becoming foster parents. I say foster parents can go outside to light up. Many smokers with children smoke outside or away from their kids out of consideration for their health. This surely won't be the last restriction Texas places on its foster parent community. After all, this is the state that wants its foster parents to be heterosexual despite the fact there are about 43,000 gay and lesbian couples who are willing to foster children. They can't all be smokers. Posted Dec 29 2006, 08:02 AM by Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) with | with no comments Filed under: parenting, anti-smoking, laws, cigarettes, foster parents, texas, smoking