Issue #773

“Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one’s own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others.”
– John F. Kennedy

Leonard Cohen Update:?Leonard Cohen turns 80 today, and he’s marking his eighth decade by returning to a vice he gave up in his fifth: The “Hallelujah” scribe unabashedly says he’s going to start smoking again. Far from hanging up his famous fedora, Cohen is also marking his milestone with a new album, Popular Problems, that’s out on Tuesday. Of reaching 80, he tells Rolling Stone,”There’s a lot of things that you can do that you couldn’t do when you were younger.”

Introducing BSCiTS:?The Behavioral Study of Cigarette and Tobacco Substitution. How do electronic cigarettes affect smoking behavior? By Dr. Michael Siegel, MD, MPH. You’ve seen the headlines and heard the debate about electronic cigarettes. Now help us discover how this controversial product impacts smoking behavior when compared to the nicotine patch.

IL Chicago:?Even the Cops at Riot Fest Think the Smoking Ban Is ‘Stupid.’ Surprise: No one at Riot Fest cares much for the recently passed ban on smoking in public parks. Riot Fest staff member Eddie Hernandez, 50 and a nonsmoker, said, “There should be no human being that can own the air. The water and the air belong to the people. Whether you smoke or not, that’s nobody’s business.”

OH Cleveland:?RTA will test for nicotine in employees who volunteer. RTA employees who take a voluntary nicotine-screening test and pass muster as smoke free can reduce their insurance costs starting next year. “I’m just wondering, where does it stop?” Serrano said. “It’s nicotine now. What’s next? I just think it’s intrusive.”

Australia Fat Tax:?PUP Senator Glenn Lazarus calls for fat tax in maiden speech to Parliament. “While respected for our love of sport, Australia is today ranked as one of the fattest nations in the developed world,” the former rugby league legend said. He called for tax incentives, concessions and other types of incentives to be looked at to target the behaviour of consumption.

Australia Nanny State:?Watch MyChoice Australia event held in sydney on fighting back against the nanny state with Christopher Snowdon from the Institute of Economic Affairs, Dr Julie Novak from the Institute for Public Affairs, and Cassandra Wilkinson from the Centre for Independent Studies.

How to make a comment to ASHRAE:?ASHRAE has apparently made the public comment as hard as they possibly could. Comments on ASHRAE’s blog do not count as a public comment,you must go through and use their system for it to count. ASHRAE suggested changed to the standards of indoor air quality. Those proposed changes included treating cannabis and MMJ exactly the same as ETS or environmental tobacco smoke.

Big Pharma GSK:?China Fines GlaxoSmithKline $485 Million for Bribery. The pharma company admits it’s at fault and will not appeal. After a one-day secret trial, a Chinese court has fined pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) $489 million for bribing hospitals and doctors to use their products.

Big Pharma Pfizer:?Chantix Plaintiffs Expert Seeks Pfizer Documents. Both wrote about how smoking cessation treatments like Chantix were associated with a higher incidence of depression, suicide and violence toward other people. They have specifically requested that documents in support of the plaintiffs’ claim for punitive damages be unsealed. They argue that the documents were sealed because they were stamped confidential by Pfizer, not because the documents contain trade secrets, personal information or any other type of information that should be legitimately kept out of the public record.?– AND –?New FDA label bolsters safety case for Chantix. The FDA first began investigating potential side effects with Chantix in 2007, the year after it hit the market.