Warned, but not fined

The man was himself present in the city, behind the country-wide smoking ban, union health minister Anbumani Ramadoss, and the first day of the prohibition began with huge awareness campaigns. No one in the city was fined. But, many people, including several others, police constables and bus drivers were warned by the squads sent out by the health department and other sections.

Union minister Ramadoss, who started distributing lampoons at the City Mofussil Bus Terminal (CMBT) in Koyambedu , told several bus conductors, drivers and passersby that people would have to stub it out in public from Thursday. He told: “Many women and youngsters have welcomed this. They congratulated me for launching the battle against the tobacco lobby. I also once again read out the list of ‘public places’ as defined by the Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places Rules, 2008 to the people gathered around. Smoking had been banned in all government or private buildings and public places like libraries, cafes, restaurants, schools, pubs or discos, stadiums, airports, hospitals, bus stands, railway stations, police stations, courts, auditoriums or cinemas . Smokers can light up by the roadside or in their homes.”

He also added: “They can also indulge in the habit in open public spaces such as parks or the beach. I am passionate about implementing this act. I hope the people will volunteer to help us implement this Act and give non-smokers their right to a nicotine-free environment. Though the designated officers, including those from the police and health departments, and other officials went around the city, they restricted themselves to just warning people against smoking in public places.”

The city’s chief health officer, B Kuganandam said: “We did not fine them today. We will start fining from Monday. Our purpose is to create awareness now. But in general the public response was good.”

Commissioner of police R Sekar said: “Most smokers were asked to either stub out the cigarettes or go to the roadsides. In the districts, however, the authorities have begun imposing the fine. More than 150 people were asked to cough up Rs 200 for violating the ban in hospitals, bus stops and cinemas at several places. While at least 85 persons were caught in the act in Villupuram, the other districts together reported more than 500 cases.”

“Some of them were constables smoking in police stations and others included hospital staff or attenders of patients,” informed state anti-tobacco cell coordinator Selvavinayagam . Health secretary V K Subburaj said: “We have not started fining people today. But we would not spare them if they violate the rules.”

Smoking can Provoke Fires

Researchers said that only smoking ban can reduce fire risk of cigarettes. Even smokers will need to continue to dispose of their cigarettes and ash carefully.

The "reduced fire risk" cigarettes are common in Europe and the United States, where they are mandatory in 36 states, but not in Australia.

Tobacco manufacturers in Australia will only be able to sell self-extinguishing cigarettes within two years.
Cigarette manufacturers from Australia will have to remove burn additives which keep cigarettes alight.

A report released by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in June estimated the new cigarettes would result in savings in property damage across Australia exceeding $100 million a year.

New South Wales (NSW) Fire Brigades has been lobbying at state and federal levels for new regulations.

It commissioned a report, which found that fires started by cigarettes were responsible for 67 deaths across Australia between 2000 and 2006.

Greg Mullins, NSW Fire Brigade commissioner, said: "We think that's a very conservative figure. Often when there's a fire, there's no evidence left to be able to state the cause beyond reasonable doubt and with many fires, we're sure that they were started by cigarettes but haven't been able to prove it."

Mr. Mullins said studies on the introduction of reduced fire risk cigarettes in New York State found a 40 percent reduction in the number of fire deaths.

He added: "In a country like ours, the impact could even be greater with our already high bushfire risk. At least 7 percent of bushfires are started by discarded cigarettes."

Researchers consider that reduced fire risk cigarettes will be just that - reduced fire risk not more. Smokers will need only to continue to dispose of their cigarettes and ash carefully.

Would Pills Help Smokers Quit?

Every day, new stop smoking pills are emerging to help smokers quit. Actually, there is a new prescription stop smoking pill that's designed to do just that.
Pfizer Malaysia recently launched its new smoking cessation pill, Varenicline, a breakthrough non-nicotine oral medication. It has a novel mechanism of action which helps smokers quit smoking by providing dual benefits.

Varenicline is designed for to activate the nicotinic receptor and reduce the severity of the smoker’s craving and the withdrawal symptoms from nicotine.
Moreover, if a person smokes a cigarette while receiving treatment, it has the potential to diminish the sense of satisfaction associated with smoking.
This assists the attempting quitter by helping prevent the cycle of nicotine dependence.

Nicotine dependence makes quitting smoking very difficult and is one of the main reasons many smokers do not succeed in their attempts to quit.
When smokers inhale smoke from a cigarette, nicotine reaches the brain within seconds and binds to nicotinic receptors, which activates the reward pathway in brain circuitry. This stimulates the pleasure centre in the brain.

The rewards or pleasurable effects reinforce a smokers’ physical dependence on the nicotine contained in cigarettes.

Smokers then become accustomed to certain levels of nicotine in their systems and a drop in these nicotine levels results in a cycle of craving and uncomfortable withdrawal.
Dr. Wong Kok Seng, Medical Director, Pfizer Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, said: "Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body and is a preventable cause of death. This innovative medication will now help many smokers end their nicotine dependence and enjoy healthier and happier lives." Varenicline also demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile in studies of almost 4,000 smokers.

"These results suggest varenicline is a significant advancement in the management of smoking cessation. It is never too late to quit smoking. People who quit smoking before the age of 50 have one-half the risk of dying of a smoking-related illness in the next 15 years compared to those who continue smoking. Smokers who are unable to quit on their own should consider seeking medical support and treatment," added Dr Wong.

As many other drugs, Varenicline has side effects such as nausea, vivid dreams, headaches and vomiting."As everyone knows, it is extremely difficult to quit smoking," reported Dr Wong.For example, less than 7% of smokers who tried to quit on their own achieve more than one year of abstinence. In fact, most smokers begin smoking again within a few days of attempting to quit.

Unlike other smoking cessation solutions that work only on controlling the withdrawal symptoms, varenicline reduces craving and withdrawal symptoms as well as the smoker’s sense of satisfaction derived from smoking, according to a study.

Information Provided by: European Cigarettes