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News
Research
Taste gene may play role in tendency to smoke
According to researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
and the University of Utah, genes responsible for taste may
also yield information about who smokes and why they smoke.
The researchers’ results, recently published in the
journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research, showed that smokers
who possessed less sensitivity to bitter taste were more likely
to rate taste as a strong reason to smoke. Click
here for more information.
Reasons why Europeans smoke more than Americans
Americans are significantly less likely to smoke than their
European counterparts. This difference emerged in the 1970s
and it is biggest among the most educated. The puzzle becomes
larger once we account for cigarette prices and anti-smoking
regulations, which are both higher in Europe. One-fifth of
the difference can be accounted for by differences in income,
with higher incomes associated with less smoking. Almost half
of the difference appears to be the result of differences
in beliefs about the health effects of smoking. In addition,
anti-smoking groups have been far stronger and effective at
influencing public opinion and policy in the U.S. compared
to Europe. Click
here to view the entire report.
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International
Actors in the U.K. must put out cigarettes
Scotland’s recent ban on smoking may affect actors across
the United Kingdom. Exemptions are now being considered where
smoking is integral to the plot. The ban in Scotland, which
follows similar curbs introduced in Ireland in 2004, is to
be followed by legislation for England next year, which could
have the same consequences for actors on stage or screen.
Click
here for more information.
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National
Tobacco research institute formed
A new tobacco research institute, named for the former president
of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, will be established
by the American Legacy Foundation. The Steven A. Schroeder
National Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy Studies
will be charged with advancing the science behind social marketing,
smoking cessation, and tobacco-control policy. Click
here for more information.
Fire-safe cigarettes coalition formed
The Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes calls on tobacco companies
to produce and sell only “fire-safe” cigarettes.
The newly formed Coalition has launched a website.
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