Since writing for The Safe Cig, I have shared very little about my life outside of what pertains directly to my smoking and quitting. At the request of one of the company founders, I shared about my school years earlier this week. Tonight, I am sharing some raw emotions after receiving a call about someone [...]

I tried smoking for the first time when I was 11. I had been bullied and found solace in hanging out with a group of kids who had been singled out for one reason or another themselves. Not one of them hid that cigarettes were their vice and while they did not push me to smoke, the offer was always there.

Eventually I had one, two, three, and four. Then I had a few more.

Smoking then was a come-and-go experience. If there were cigarettes around, I would smoke, but I could go months without a cigarette. At that point in my life, I didn't see what the big deal was about smoking. Of course I was at an age where I was invincible and cigarettes were my hobby after an exceptionally difficult day of hearing bullying slurs spew from a group of kids during gym, in the halls, at lunch, and even in class. Those days, that came and went inconsistently, were ones where I would sneak out of school 20 minutes early and hang out on the greenbelt with a group of kids who hated school, classmates, and life as much as I did and light up. Continue Reading

Bullying comes in many forms; teasing, name-calling, hitting, kicking, and spreading rumors are just a few examples. But to be bullying it must happen more than once and over a period of time. Unfortunately, children who are bullied often resort to making poor choices just to fit in with any crowd. For me, smoking was one way to be accepted by someone without hearing or experiencing:

"Oh look! It's the Jolly Green Giant!"

"Hey four-eyes."

"Where did you find that outfit; in the dumpster?"

"It's the stuck-up goody-goody writing in that notebook again. I can't imagine what she's trying to achieve next."

"Just push her down in that puddle of mud."

"She should live in the garbage can. She's just trash."

I was always one of the tallest in my class. I stood on the top riser in choir performances and Christmas pageants. I excelled at high jump. I was a versatile runner with long legs allowing me to sprint and run long distances. With my parents both above 6' tall, genetics were in my favor to tower above those with shorter parents. But instead of seeing what I could do, I spent years being called the Jolly Green Giant and it hurt.

Glasses in the 80's and 90's were not so fashionable as they are today or common. When I was in third grade, I was forced to don these hideous pink, plastic frames on my face to ensure I could see what was on the chalkboard. I listened to four-eyes for months before my glasses happened to not make it home one day after school. I hated wearing them, but hated being teased by the same group of kids that called me the Jolly Green Giant even more than the luxury of seeing. I had many outfits my mom made for me growing up. No matter what was purchased for me, it never fit. I had pants with elastic waste bands and matching shirts as clothing from stores would fall off or be too short in the leg. I never wore clothing from a dumpster, but I certainly donned outfits lacking any style or semblance of fashion. Continue Reading

Utah's Senate passed the final approval on a ban of using hookahs and e-cigarettes in indoor public places. The bill, HB245, has so far exempted hookah bars and e-cigarette shops from the ban for the next five years, though, at which point Utah's legislature will have to determine whether or not to expend this ban. HB245 passes with a 24-3 approval vote and has been sent to Gov. Gary Herbert for signing.

An act already in place in the state, Utah's Indoor Clean Air Act, previously banned only the act of igniting tobacco. The difference with hookahs and e-cigarettes is that hookahs heat tobacco in pipes that pas through water, while e-cigarettes vaporize a liquid with nicotine. No tobacco ignition is involved, which meant Utah's Legislature saw this as a big grey area.

The ban has caused quite the uproar as many prior cigarette smokers have turned to the e-cigarette as an alternative once cigarette smoking bans have gone into effect. Many politicians who have supported the ban of the e-cigarette claim that they are aiming to keep the public safe, as users of e-cigarettes simply don't know how much they're smoking and how much nicotine they are taking in. Continue Reading

Smoking is a long-standing addiction that has spanned centuries. In Europe during the 18th century, smoking was banned as the ill health effects were noted. One century later, a British pharmacology textbook stated that smoking tobacco would treat respiratory disorders and diseases. Only a half-century later, tobacco was referenced as "coffin nails" to a person in major US publication. The way tobacco has evolved over the centuries is intriguing and ironic.

So is the thought that it just takes luck to quit smoking. Smoking is addictive. Nicotine is compared to major illegal drugs - heroine most commonly. The knowledge medical professionals have on how a body withdraws from heroine is similar when compared to the withdrawal process of nicotine. Intense cravings, mood swings, and major depression accompany any person looking to end an addiction to a substance that alters how a person feels about himself and his life. Continue Reading

Humble, Texas is on the outskirts of Houston to the north east. It's a common city to frequent for those living in Atascocita and Kingwood. A recent meeting of the Humble City Council had a smoking ban ordinance on the docket. The ordinance outlined increasing the smoking ban to include more public facilities into the current definition. The ordinance was passed with a 5-1 vote.

As outlined in the document; all restaurants, pool or billiard halls, gaming halls, bingo parlors, movie theaters, auditoriums, shopping malls, educational offices, child care facilities, some bars, and both enclosed and open-air sporting facilities are now included in with the ban. The exclusions to this list include homes, tobacco outlets, tobacco stores, and bars in operation prior to March 1, 2012.

Humble City Manager, Darrell Boeske stated, "We didn't jump in here on the first day. We are last to get on the bandwagon." Following discussing that larger cities have enacted smoking bans covering the same facilities and stressing that the concept is hardly new. Continue Reading

The U.S. Surgeon General's Office stated in a report released on March 8, 2012 that more work needs to be done to keep young Americans from lighting up. The report suggests that increasing bans and raising tobacco taxes will help in this measure.

The concern of the U.S. Surgeon General's report shows that the number of teens who smoke is plateauing at 1 in 5. In prior decades that number was significantly higher and efforts to assist in curbing teens smoking was effective, but with the plateau in the decline, the Surgeon General's office wants states to increase efforts to deter new smokers from ever starting.

Statistically, 99 percent of American's who smoke start prior to the age of 26 with 80 percent lighting up before the age of 18. It is extremely important to prevent teens from trying cigarettes as the earlier a person begins to smoke, the greater the risk of a long-term addiction to nicotine. For teens who begin smoking, the health effects include reduced lung function, impaired lung growth, early heart disease, and other health problems including asthma.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Surgeon General Regina Benjamin said, "In order to end this epidemic, we need to focus on where we can prevent it and where we can see the most effect, and that's with young people. We want to make our next generation tobacco-free, and I think we can." Continue Reading

Pregnant Women who Smoke May Cause Developmental Delays in Children

In a new study published in the journal Addictive Behaviors, scientists at the University at Buffalo - Research Institute on Addictions and the School of Public Health and Health Professions, researchers looked at the impact of social and environmental factors on smoking cessation in a sample of low-income, pregnant smokers. The researchers are trying to shed light on why pregnant women do not quit smoking and other questions related to the prevalence and dangers of smoking while pregnant.

In the study, they found that 47 percent of women who smoked also had a partner who smoked. What surprised the researchers, however, was the finding that when a woman's friends smoked, the probability that these pregnant women would continue to smoke increased. Gregory G. Homish, PhD, UB assistant professor in community health and health behavior and first author on the study says that it isn't entirely clear why the influence of friends was greater than the influence of family members. Dr. Homish stated, "It may be related to the amount of time women spend with friends compared to relatives. It is also possible that the nature of the relationship is important to consider." Homish continued on to state "Side-stream smoke readily enters the bloodstream and may have significant physiological and neurological influences on the fetus." This statement is made with great warning as side-stream (secondhand) smoke contains more chemicals and carcinogens than first-hand smoke.

Rina Das Eiden PhD, co-researcher and senior research scientist at the Research Institute on Addictions says the finding "may point to the need for including the woman's social network and partner in smoking cessation treatment." The findings are part of a larger research project known as Prenatal and Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure: Effects on Child Regulation, conducted from 2006 - 2011 the University at Buffalo.  Researchers studied pregnant smokers' social networks, behavior and overall health, as well as the health of their newborn children, up to the age of two. Continue Reading

Indiana's House and Senate are at odds with two versions of a Smoke-Free bill. One side wants few restrictions and the other wants many - but time is quickly ticking as the adjournment of this year's legislative session is today. Both sides of Indiana's Congressional House believe that a state-wide smoking ban is in order. Representatives and Senators both feel the bill should be comprehensive. The challenge has been meeting in the middle between the two bills.

Bill sponsors are pushing to have bars included in the ban. The compromise circulating does not ban smoking in bars and is sparking some animosity. The House approved a ban on smoking in most public places with an 18-month exemption to bars. The Senate, however, eliminated the potential to ban smoking in bars entirely in the version of the bill that was passed last week. Continue Reading

Proposed Bill in Vermont Threatens Electronic Cigarette Users

cVermont House Bill 747 has been introduced and referred to the House Committee on Human Services, but has yet to be added to the agenda. This bill has multiple sections, one of which should be supported.

Section 6, as included below from H747, aims to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors. We encourage you to fully support this section of the bill as electronic cigarettes contain nicotine, an addictive substance, and should only be used by adults.

Sec. 6.  V.S.A. § 1003 is amended to read:
§ 1003. SALE OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS; REQUIREMENTS;
PROHIBITIONS
(a) A person shall not sell or provide tobacco products, tobacco substitutes or tobacco paraphernalia to any person younger than 18 years of age.

Section 9 seeks to prohibit the purchase, sale, and delivery of electronic cigarettes via the Internet, mail order, telephone, or any other electronic network. The penalties for each violation are up to 5 years imprisonment, a $5,000 criminal fine, and a $5,000 civil fine. Continue Reading