Electronic Cigarettes Sponsors Rosie Fortescue Fashion Launch

The stars of the hit E4 reality show Made In Chelsea turned up in force for a night of champers, cupcakes and canapés, as Rosie chatted about the inspiration behind her exciting new blog launch AtFashionForte.com. Everyone enjoyed smoking SKYCIG Lite, handed out on silver trays, with Francis Boulle (who Tatler recently announced as London’s most eligible chap) exclaiming the Menthol cartomizers were his favourite!
Voted ‘Best Electronic Cigarette in the UK’ in 2011, SKYCIG offers smokers the chance to light up whenever they feel like it, at a far reduced risk to their health. E-cigs are a healthier alternative to smoking as they don’t produce second-hand smoke, nor do they contain the harmful carcinogens or high levels of nicotine found in ordinary cigarettes!
How do they work? New to the UK market, SKYCIG Lite are battery powered and provide smokers with inhaled doses of nicotine by delivering a vapourised liquid nicotine solution. When the body absorbs the nicotine, users exhale a water vapour, which looks like a puff of smoke to the common eye. This vapour provides a sensation similar to that of inhaled tobacco smoke - but no tobacco, smoke or combustion is actually involved! The similarity to a genuine cigarette is uncanny, with better vapour production for a smaller cigarette than competitor brands.

Man attempts to hide marijuana in patrol car, Alameda police say

A man who was detained as part of a theft investigation was arrested after he attempted to conceal marijuana in a patrol car, police said.
The arrest occurred shortly before 10 p.m. Nov. 20 at Mel's Bowl on Park Street.
The 40-year-old man, who was suspected of using fraudulent credit cards at the business on several occasions, attempted to discard the marijuana under the rear seat of the car, police said.
MARIJUANA POSSESSION -- Police are investigating a report from a teacher that a student was selling marijuana-laced baked goods to another juvenile in the 1900 block of Third Street. It was reported about 9:20 a.m. In another narcotics case, police arrested a 32-year-old man on suspicion of possessing narcotics paraphernalia about 10:30 a.m. at Alameda South Shore Center.
GRAND THEFT -- The theft of a laptop was reported in the 1200 block of Park Street about 2:25 p.m.
BURGLARY -- A burglary was reported about 6:10 p.m. in the 1800 block of Santa Clara Avenue.
PETTY THEFT -- Someone stole a catalytic converter from a vehicle parked in the 2200 block of Encinal Avenue, police said. The theft was reported just before 9 p.m.

Tobacco firm gave thousands of pounds worth of hospitality to nine MPs who opposed smoking bill

MPs who received thousands of pounds worth of hospitality from one of the world’s largest tobacco companies opposed a new law banning smoking in cars.
The parliamentary register of members’ interests shows Japan Tobacco International, which produces Benson & Hedges, Silk Cut and Camel cigarettes, spent £23,000 entertaining 20 MPs in the past six months.
Almost half of them voted against a Private Member’s Bill banning smoking in cars carrying children.
The MP behind the Bill, Labour’s Alex Cunningham, has asked Parliamentary Standards Commissioner John Lyon to investigate.
In May, seven Tory MPs accepted tickets from JTI to the Chelsea Flower Show, costing at least £1,100 each for themselves plus a guest.
Less than a month later they voted against the Bill, which passed the first stage of the parliamentary process by 78 votes to 66 on June 22.
The seven were Therese Coffey, Richard Ottaway, Christopher Pincher, Alun Cairns, Stephen Metcalfe, Laurence Robertson and Michael Ellis.
In August Labour MP Simon Danczuk and Tory Andrew Rosindell watched the England versus India Test match at the Oval courtesy of JTI. They had also voted against the anti-smoking Bill.
Mr Danczuk received hospitality to the value of £1,389 and Mr Rosindell was given £1,447 worth. Both attended the game with a guest.
The MP behind the bill – Labour’s Alex Cunningham – is now demanding an investigation by John Lyon the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner.

Tobacco-free zones

This Thursday is the 36th anniversary of the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout, an event encouraging smokers to quit, if just for a day. In commemoration of the day, the communities of Brocton and Portland have announced newly established smoke-free zones.

On Monday, the Tri-County Tobacco-Free Program supplied the signs to post to the areas. The signs were presented at the Portland Town Hall.

Roxane Sobecki, town clerk in Portland, said, "The places that are now smoke free are Portland Town Hall property, the Community Park in Portland, Arch Park for Brocton, Brocton's Little League fields, and Brocton Village Office property. We (the town) did the resolution at the October's meeting.

"It was so nice to work with them (Tri-County Tobacco Free). The library applied first, and that's how I found out about it. I wasn't sure, but found out that we qualified (for the signs) as well."

Ahira Memorial Library in Brocton, Darwin Barker Library in Fredonia and Minerva Library in Sherman also recently established their tobacco-free outdoor areas.

Laurie Adams, Tri-County Tobacco Free Program Director said, "Establishing tobacco free property and grounds is a proven way to reduce the social acceptability of tobacco use, encourage smokers to quit and make sure our youth don't start. Across the state hundreds of communities and businesses have established tobacco free outdoor policies because we know that secondhand smoke is a class A carcinogen - a substance known to cause cancer. There's no safe level of secondhand smoke exposure. If you can smell it, secondhand smoke is harming you. Cigarette butts are a danger to our children and to the environment. We applaud the actions taken by Brocton, Portland, and many other communities in our country. We ask adults to please observe the policy and help protect our children and the environment."

Brocton Village Trustee Art Donovan commented, "I am all in favor of this. I smoked for about 48 years. I used the patch and quit 13 years ago. I have had bladder cancer and one of my lungs has a problem. I know that it is my fault for smoking. I would be willing to talk to groups through a hospital and tell them my story."

Tobacco program a waste of money

The Food and Drug Administration will spend $600 million in the next five years to “educate the public about the dangers of tobacco use.”

You would have to be living under a rock not to know the dangers of tobacco use. And yet our government, about to go bankrupt and floating in debt, is going to waste over half a billion dollars telling us what we already know?

If people want to use tobacco despite all the evidence of its ill effects, then they probably will anyway.

When is this government going to figure out that the good times are over and we can’t be wasting limited revenues on idiotic programs like this? If this president and Congress are serious about trimming the deficit and waste, cancel this program and use the $600 million to pay down the debt or bail out another solar company.

Stores Caught Selling Tobacco To Minors

Federal officials warned 37 Colorado stores in October that undercover inspectors caught clerks selling cigarettes or smokeless tobacco to minors.
The violations were cited in enforcement warning letters sent to store operators by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The letters warned merchants to immediately correct the violations or face a "no-tobacco-sale order," product seizure and/or civil fines.
Store operators were given 15 working days to send a written response describing their intent to comply with the order and explain their plan to end violations.
Here's a sampling of violations cited in warning letters issued last month.
Florence Mini Mart in Aurora was warned that on July 16 a store employee sold someone under 18 years old a pack of Marlboro cigarettes and failed check a photo identification to confirm the buyer was over 18.
Maxx Liquors in Lakewood was warned that on July 8 a clerk sold a pack of Blue Camel cigarettes to a minor without checking an ID.
The King Soopers at 4271 S. Buckley Road in Aurora was warned that on July 20 a clerk sold a pack of Camel 99’s Filters cigarettes to a minor without checking ID.
The Greeley Fast Break store was warned that on July 26 a clerk sold a pack of Basic Gold cigarettes to a minor without checking ID.
A 1st Stop at 2900 S. Wadsworth Blvd. in Denver was warned that on July 1 a clerk sold a pack of Newport 100s cigarettes to a minor without checking ID.

Location of Stroke a Factor in Smoking Cessation

Most smokers who have a stroke have not dropped the habit by one year after the event, which might be related to their intentions to quit before the stroke and the location of the stroke, researchers found.

At a single Spanish hospital, nearly 70% of smokers hospitalized for a stroke had stopped smoking by discharge, although only 40% remained abstinent at one year, according to Rosa Suñer Soler, PhD, of Girona University in Spain, and colleagues.

Those who had plans to quit smoking in the near future before the stroke were significantly more likely to have quit by one year after discharge (OR 7.29, 95% CI 1.89 to 28.07), the researchers reported online in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Jessamine schools target underage smokers

Students younger than 18 who bring tobacco to East or West Jessamine high schools in Nicholasville can find themselves paying a steep price.
Literally.
School resource officers at the two Jessamine County high schools now issue citations to underage students if they are caught with cigarettes or tobacco products on school property. The tickets are referred to Jessamine County Juvenile Court, where students can face fines of as much as $150 for violations, Jessamine Superintendent Lu Young said.
Citations are issued to enforce Kentucky state law that prohibits possession of tobacco products by anyone younger than 18. Fines are paid to the court and don't go to the school system, Young said.
Students 18 and older can't be ticketed for tobacco violations, but they can receive administrative punishment from the school system, Young said.
East Jessamine High began issuing tickets to tobacco violators at the start of the previous school year, and West Jessamine High started last month. District officials said both schools have seen a sharp drop in cases of students bringing tobacco on campus.
Before the policy went into effect, East Jessamine had 120 incidents of students smoking in 2008-09 and 148 in 2009-10, Principal Janet Granada said.
"Last year, we only had 39," Granada said. "Once the word spreads that there's a fine involved, it seems to lessen smoking greatly."
Young says the intent is to reduce student smoking, not punish students.
"We're not about fining kids or busting kids and that sort of thing," she said. "But these deterrents are there for a reason.
"And if it can become the ticket that moves a kid toward smoking cessation, then that's a win for us."
Brad Hughes, a spokesman for the Kentucky School Boards Association, said other Kentucky school districts might be taking such steps to combat smoking, but he hasn't heard of any. State Education Department spokeswoman Lisa Gross also said this is the first she has heard of school officers ticketing underage students for having tobacco on school property.
Federal law generally prohibits tobacco in any building used for educational purposes but doesn't cover outdoor smoking on school property.
Many of Kentucky's 174 public school districts, including Jessamine County, have adopted tobacco-free policies on their campuses. Fayette County Public Schools prohibit cigarettes and tobacco products in buildings, on grounds, in school-owned vehicles and on field trips.
Presumably, however, any public school district could adopt a court-based approach like the one at East and West Jessamine.
The Jessamine County effort is the brainchild of Billy King, a school resource officer at East Jessamine High. School resource officers in the Jessamine County system are official members of the Nicholasville police.
"We recognized we had a problem with minors using tobacco," King said. "We talked with faculty members and also with the court system, and we decided that I would make it a rule that if students were caught in possession of tobacco on campus, they would receive citations.
"I felt that it would prevent them from bringing tobacco to school if they knew they could get a fine. But I also knew that they probably didn't think it would happen. Police generally don't cite juveniles for tobacco possession, even though the law has been on the books forever."
King said he first posted signs around the school warning that citations would be issued to any minors who were caught with tobacco. After waiting a few weeks for students to get the picture, he started issuing tickets.
"The word got around pretty quickly that the court system was putting some pretty big penalties on the violators," he said.
Young said she didn't know exactly how many students have been fined, but that the number is relatively small.
"They only had to fine a couple of students at East High before the kids were saying, 'Forget it,'" she said. "Now, they're applying the same thing at West High too, and apparently it's gotten some quick reaction there as well."
Asked whether parents end up paying the fines, Young said that many students now have part-time jobs and could pay the fines themselves. Individual families would decide how they want to handle it, she said.
King said he understands that the court has required students, not parents, to pay the fines. He said, however, that fines are not imposed in every case.
Young said the school district is trying to support the effort with smoking-cessation classes for students who want help.
"The kids who don't smoke say they're really annoyed when they have to use bathrooms that smell like smoke," she said. "This is another weapon to try and cut out smoking in the high schools. I'm hoping it's going to be successful."

Council plan to shame smokers at outdoor dining areas

SMOKERS would be shamed into restricting their smoking at outdoor dining areas under a novel campaign being considered by an inner-city council.

Instead of banning smoking in alfresco dining precincts, the City of Yarra is looking at a campaign calling on smokers to be more considerate of the majority.

"This will require a community regulation approach where it will become the norm for smokers to move away from non-smokers especially where eating and drinking or people are seated and/or congregating," says a proposal before a council meeting tonight.

Will smokers behave without a ban? Have your say below
Several councils have introduced bans at children's playgrounds and some other public spaces but so far only Baw Baw Shire has moved to outlaw smoking in outdoor dining areas.

The Municipal Association of Victoria wants the State Government to launch a statewide alfresco ban and to consider one at beaches too.

A six-month community consultation by Yarra Council has revealed strong support for a smoking ban at playgrounds but opinions are sharply divided over whether it should extend to outdoor dining areas.

The proposal before council says that a health promotion campaign, supported by local businesses, might work in areas where smoking is not restricted.

"(It would) call on smokers to be considerate of the majority," it said.

Smoking 'primes the brain for cocaine cravings'

Smoking may increase the chances of someone abusing cocaine later in life by priming the brain to be more receptive to the Class A drug, say scientists.
The landmark study, from the National Institute on Drug Abuse in Maryland, is the first to show how nicotine can change the brain in a way that enhances the behavioural effects of cocaine.
It could help explain why so many drug-using teenagers tend to start with cigarettes and alcohol before moving on to more illegal substances.
In the current study, scientists from Columbia University in New York, found mice exposed to nicotine through their drinking water for one week showed an increased response to cocaine.
This priming effect depended on the previously unrecognised impact that nicotine made on gene expression. It was found to reprogram specific genes linked to addiction ultimately making the brain more responsive to harder drugs.
The team found that the results paralleled findings in humans after they reexamined statistics from the 2003 National Epidemiological Study of Alcohol Related Consequences.
They found that the rate of cocaine dependence was higher among cocaine users who smoked prior to starting cocaine compared to those who tried cocaine prior to smoking.
The findings, published in Science Translational Medicine, suggest smoking prevention would not only prevent the damaging effects of the habit but could also decrease the risk of progression and addiction to cocaine and other illegal drugs.
Senior author, Dr Eric Kandel, said: 'Now that we have a mouse model of the actions of nicotine as a gateway drug this will allow us to explore the molecular mechanisms by which alcohol and marijuana might act as gateway drugs.
'In particular, we would be interested in knowing if there is a single, common mechanism for all gateway drugs or if each drug utilises a distinct mechanism.'

Loleta smoke shop sued by state for 'contraband cigarettes'

A tribal tobacco shop in Loleta has been ordered by the California Attorney General's Office to stop selling what it describes as illegal cigarettes and to cease distributing them beyond the boundaries of the Wiyot Table Bluff Reservation in Humboldt County.
What was originally an order in a letter dated nearly one year ago has transformed into a lawsuit against the Huber Enterprise Smoke Shop and owner Ardith Huber, alleging the shop has been selling contraband cigarettes since March 2007. The case is scheduled to be heard this week by a Humboldt County Superior Court judge.
The state said in the lawsuit that the smoke shop sells cigarette brands that aren't listed on the California Tobacco Directory and aren't certified as compliant with the California Cigarette Fire Safety and Fire Protection Act. The lawsuit said such brands include Seneca, Opal, Sky Dancer, Smokin' Joes and All Natural Native cigarettes.
Lynda Gledhill, spokeswoman for the Attorney General's Office, said one of the reasons the lawsuit was brought against the shop is that Huber has sold these cigarettes beyond the reservation's boundaries and to non-tribal members.
In addition, the lawsuit states Huber's choice not to charge taxes on the cigarettes is in violation of California's Unfair Competition Law, making the state lose an 87-cent tax on each package of 20 cigarettes and encouraging people to buy non-state-licensed cigarettes.
While tribal cigarettes aren't covered by the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement of 1998, which requires tobacco companies to pay states to help mitigate the costs of smoking-related public health expenses, Gledhill said that tribal cigarettes are still subject to state taxes. The letter sent to the smoke shop last year states, “Native American tribes and tribal retailers that sell cigarettes to non-Indians and non-members of the tribe are legally obligated to collect applicable state taxes.”
Michael Robinson, Huber's attorney, said he didn't want to discuss the specifics of the case but said the next step is for the Humboldt County Superior Court to make a ruling on Nov. 10 as to whether the case can even be heard due to jurisdictional issues.
”You've got a Native American on her own Indian reservation,” Robinson said. “Tribes are sovereign entities.”
He said the state doesn't have jurisdiction over Huber's smoke shop because it's part of a tribal reservation. He said he originally filed his response to the lawsuit in federal court, but it was remanded back to the state.
”We still believe that the issue of whether or not the state can regulate Indian reservations is a federal issue,” Robinson said.
Gledhill said Huber's smoke shop isn't the first Native American tobacco retail facility to be targeted by the Attorney General's Office for selling contraband cigarettes.
”There have been others ... BlackHawk, SevenLeaf, Roadrunner and NativeBuy,” Gledhill said, listing smoke shops that have been shut down.