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A cloud of smoke seemed to surround Jody Smedley. At the Denny’s restaurant in West Palm Beach where Smedley works as a waitress, many of her regular customers smoke cigarettes. One of her favorites, an elderly woman named Marie, was a three-pack-a-day smoker afflicted with emphysema and various other tobacco-related ailments. Marie often looked quite frail. “But she was one of those people who couldn’t stop,” Smedley says. “She actually would use one cigarette to light another without missing a beat.” Then, a few months ago, Smedley’s mother, another heavy smoker, was diagnosed with emphysema. Her lung specialist gave her...

Nicotine And Memory Loss Burlington, Vermont - October 20, 2003 Doctors at the University of Vermont are trying to solve the mystery behind Mild Cognitive Impairment. It's a condition characterized by forgetfulness and if left untreated could be a precursor to Alzheimers Disease. "Just like heart disease doesn't start with a heart attack, it starts with years of cholesterol buildup. Mild Cognitive Impairment may represent the early stages of memory loss prior to the diagnosis of Alzheimers disease," says Dr. Paul Newhouse. Newhouse is targeting Mild Cognitive Impairment because about 12 percent of MCI patients will develop Alzheimers. And...

A net-buddy of mine was recently diagnosed with non-small-cell lung cancer in the upper lobe of his right lung: stage 3a, locally metastatic, possibly operable, possibly terminal. His odds are not good. He is 53, married. He has been a 2-pack/day smoker for 30 years. I -and others- have begun sending him surplus cash to help him and his wife keep beans on the table and a roof overhead as he pursues treatment. Something about the situation struck me as beautifully symmetric: I smoke, spending about $30.00 every two weeks on cigarettes; I intend to send him at least that...

<p>WASHINGTON (CNN) --A Department of Homeland Security advisory issued Thursday warns that al Qaeda is working on plans to hijack airliners flying between international points that pass near or over the continental United States.</p> <p>A Department of Homeland Security official said most of the flights fitting this description originate in Canada, and that U.S. officials have been working with Canada over the past month to ensure it is improving screening and other security measures.</p>

The FBI is warning that terrorists might try to poison food or water supplies, and senior bureau officials said al-Qaeda was determined to attack Americans at home even though the organisation appears to have a relatively small US presence. The FBI has not detected any individuals or cells actively planning attacks such as those almost two years ago that killed some 3000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. Most al-Qaeda operatives in the US provide logistical support such as travel documents, recruitment and fund raising, Larry Mefford, the FBI's chief counterterrorism official, said today. "My view is, it's very...

Enter the nicotini: Smoking ban leads to tobacco-infused drink By Scott Wyman Staff Writer Posted July 30 2003 Forget the cosmopolitan. Set aside the mojito. A new drink has emerged on trendy Las Olas Boulevard since restaurants were forced to ban smoking -- the nicotini. Call it a liquid cigarette because this drink comes complete with the nicotine rush and tobacco aftertaste found in a pack of Camels. These tobacco-spiked martinis are being served up for die-hard smokers who don't want to leave their barstools and go outside to light up.

Some cigarette brands are likely to be far more addictive than others, new research warns. For the first time, scientists have measured the amount of super-addictive "freebase" nicotine different cigarettes deliver to the smoker. Like crack cocaine, freebase nicotine vaporises and passes rapidly through the lungs into the bloodstream. Because it reaches the brain so quickly it is thought to be more addictive than normal nicotine, which stays in the form of sooty smoke particles. Until now it has not been known how much freebase nicotine various types of cigarette contain. The new research, from a team at Oregon Health...

The downsides of smoking are plentiful, ranging from stained fingers and teeth to an increased risk of lung cancer. But one potential upside was discovered recently when research suggested that cigarette smoking may delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Findings published online this week by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences indicate that nornicotine, a by-product of nicotine, could be responsible for this protective effect. Kim Janda and Tobin Dickerson of the Scripps Research Institute tested the effect of nornicotine on amyloid beta proteins, which aggregate into the plaques that are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. Specifically, the...

4 students fail nicotine part of city drug testsNone fail alcohol or drug portionsBy Bayne Hughes DAILY Education Writerhughes@decaturdaily.com · 340-2432Decatur City Schools had their first drug test failures during November's random tests, but not for drugs or alcohol.According to Supervisor for Safety and Alternative Education Phil Hastings, four students failed the tobacco portion of the random tests given to students participating in competitive extracurricular activities."All of the students admitted to it (smoking cigarettes or using smokeless tobacco), and are taking steps to stop using it," Hastings said.The penalties for positive nicotine use are not as harsh as the penalties...

<p>Tobacco farmer Dwight Watson's voice poured through the phone line like cream on a slice of sweet- potato pie. He was calling from North Carolina, where his family has grown tobacco for 150 years. He had read my column asking why, despite billion-dollar liability suits that slammed tobacco companies for their deadly and addictive product, cigarettes are still on the market.</p>

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline Plc said Thursday US regulators had approved an over-the-counter nicotine lozenge designed to help people quit smoking. (Who wants to QUIT!!) The Commit Lozenge helps relieve craving and nicotine withdrawal symptoms by providing a temporary alternative source of nicotine, the company said in a statement. The product also gives smokers a way to determine the appropriate strength of nicotine they need, based on how quickly they need to smoke after waking, the company said. The lozenges have been shown effective in helping people quit, including smokers who have tried quitting before, the company said....

SMOKE-FILLED ROOMS BROOKLYN TOBACCO PARTY by Herb Allen Issue of 2002-07-29Posted 2002-07-22 CLASH, which stands for Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment, is the only organization dedicated exclusively to protecting the rights of New York City smokers. It was founded two years ago by Audrey Silk, a thirty-eight-year-old police officer in Brooklyn's Sixty-seventh Precinct, who smokes between one and two packs a day and was, she says, "sick and tired of the government telling me how to live my life." Under Silk's leadership, CLASH has opposed the ban on smoking in restaurants, fought proposals to raise the tax on cigarettes, and...

Cannabis poses a greater threat to health than tobacco, lung experts have warned. The warning comes on the day that Home Secretary David Blunkett is due to make a Commons statement about the future of government drug policy. Many young people are simply not aware that smoking cannabis may put them at increased risk of respiratory cancers and infections . Dame Helena Shovelton: The Home Affairs Select Committee has recommended that cannabis is downgraded from a class B drug to class C. This would mean that possession would lead to a caution, rather than arrest. The British Lung Foundation is...