Quit Smoking - 6,154 Smokers Warned by MMDA, P500 Fine Starting July 1, 2011

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(SPOT.ph) Nearly a month after the No-Smoking in Public Places Policy was implemented on May 30, over 6,154 smokers have been apprehended by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), reports Manila Bulletin. On July 1, when the ban is fully implemented, violators will be fined P500 or will render eight hours of community service.

The MMDA website features a tally of “smokers given warnings” and “anti-littering apprehensions.” According to the Health, Public Safety, and Environmental Protection Office, about 48,750 individuals have been caught throwing cigarette butts and candy wrappers, spitting, and urinating in public.

On their website, the MMDA has also listed places where smoking is banned, which includes public utility vehicles (PUV), transport terminals, tricycles, schools, hospitals, bars, restaurants, streets, and areas where food is being prepared. MMDA chair Francis Tolentino said that the agency will continue its campaign to educate the public on the anti-smoking drive and inform them about the associated health risks.

Quit Smoking - Places Where You Can and You Can't Smoke

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via ABSCBN News

MANILA, Philippines - The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has started deploying environmental enforcers to warn, and eventually apprehend, violators of the smoking ban in public places.

But what constitutes a public place?

MMDA said it will monitor smokers in public utility vehicles, loading bays, bus terminals, airport terminals, train stations and ports, and along main thoroughfares.

This means that drivers caught smoking will be apprehended and reported to the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

Passengers caught smoking will also be warned and apprehended subsequently.

Environmental officers will also warn and apprehend smokers at loading bays and pedestrian lanes along intersections of main thoroughfares.

The Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003 is more precise as to what can be considered a public place. The following are considered public places:

• Loading bays and pedestrian lanes along intersections of main thoroughfares
• Centers of youth activity such as playschools, preparatory schools, elementary schools, high schools, colleges and universities, youth hostels and recreational facilities for persons under eighteen (18) years old.
• Elevator and stairwells
• Location in which fire hazards are present, including gas stations and storage areas for flammable liquids, gas, explosives or combustible materials
• Within the buildings and premises of public and private hospitals, medical, dental and optical clinics, health centers, nursing homes, dispensaries and laboratories.
• Public conveyance and public facilities including airport and ship terminals and train and bus stations, restaurant and conference halls, except for separate smoking areas
• Food preparation areas, including areas where food or beverage is actually being manufactured or prepared.

The IRR also dictates that in enclosed places open to the population, such as public and private workplaces and other areas not stated above (such as malls) owners, proprietors, operators, possessors, managers and administrators are required to establish smoking and non-smoking areas.

The smoking area shall be in an open space or in an area with proper ventilation and far from a non-smoking area.

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino added that different local governments, which tied up with the agency to promote a 100% smoking free Metro Manila, have separate ordinances describing “public places.”

Quit Smoking - Doctors Urge PNoy to Stop Smoking

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via ABS-CBN News

MANILA, Philippines - Participants to the Tobacco Control Summit 2011 organized by the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance Philippines (FCAP) and the Philippine College of Chest Physicians (PCCP) were one in their call for President Benigno Aquino III to stop smoking and lead the Philippines into becoming a tobacco-free country. 

FCAP board member Bobby del Rosario and and Dr. Rlorante Trinidad, technical officer of the 

World Health Organization's (WHO) Tobacco-Free Initiative, said although Aquino may have difficulty in stopping from smoking, he should at least declare that smoking is bad for one's health and support anti-smoking policies.

FCAP also called on the President to rid Filipinos of the harmful effects of second-hand smoke by enacting laws that will prevent smoking in public.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Department of Health are alarmed over the increasing number of smokers in the Philippines.

Despite tobacco control efforts in the country, 17.3 million Filipinos now smoke, and almost 2/3 of the adults and children are exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke.

Trinidad said tobacco use is rising in the country, as shown by the number of Filipinos aged 13-15 years old who are currently smoking, which increased to 22.7% from only 15.9% in 2003.

He said the trend is also noticeable among young girls. 

Tobacco kills 87,600 Filipinos per year, and 240 deaths are recorded every day, he said.

Trinidad added that 1/3 of them are men in the most productive age of their lives.

He said the increasing number of smokers is a consistent trend in developing countries like the Philippines, whose anti-smoking laws are not as strict as those in developed countries.

Quit Smoking - 10 Filipinos Die Every Hour Due to Smoking

By Sol Aragones, ABS-CBN News

MANILA, Philippines - Emer Rojas, 53, uses an electronic larynx whenever he has to speak.

It's been 9 years since he was first diagnosed with stage 4 laryngeal cancer.

He started smoking when he was just 17. Now, he regrets not being able to kick the habit.

"Mahirap. You have to exert effort. Kapag maingay, 'di ka na maintindihan. 'Di na rin ako nakakatawa dahil wala ng hangin," Rojas said.

According to Dr. Encarnita Limpin of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance, Philippines (FCAP), aside from cancer, smokers are prone to strokes and heart attacks.

"Kahit isang benepisyo walang makukuha sa sigarilyo dahil may 7,000 chemicals ito na nakakasama," said Limpin.

Experts said just one pull from a cigarette is already bad for your health.

Chemicals like nicotine will immediately be taken into the system through air passages, the lungs and veins.

Sickness begins when the substances spread and circulate throughout the body.

According to records of the Department of Health (DOH) and the World Health Organization, 10 Filipinos die every hour due to smoking. That's over 80,000 Filipinos every year.

This is why the DOH is pushing that graphic images of the negative effects of smoking be placed on cigarette packs.

The agency also wants to start a campaign to urge smokers to quit the habit.

Quit Smoking - Smoking, Couch-Potato Lifestyles Boost Cancer Risks

via Flickr (Kaptain Kobold)

From ABS-CBN News:

PARIS - Two studies released on Wednesday highlighted the risks and benefits of lifestyle choices in combatting cancer, showing the dangers of smoking for post-menopausal women and exercise's protective effect on the bowel.

Post-menopausal women who smoke, or who used to smoke, face an up to 16% higher risk of developing breast cancer compared to women who have never smoked, according to a paper published online by the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

Women who have been extensively exposed to passive smoking, either as children or in adulthood, could also be at greater risk of breast cancer, it added.

However, this apparent risk does not apply to women who were only moderately exposed to second-hand smoke.

The study covered almost 80,000 US women aged between 50 and 79 who were followed for 10 years.

In a separate investigation published in the British Journal of Cancer, people with an active lifestyle were found to be up to three times less likely to develop large bowel growths, known as polyps, which are often a precursor for cancer.

The conclusion is based on an overview of 20 published studies.

"We've long known that an active lifestyle can protect against bowel cancer, but this study is the first to look at all the available evidence and show that a reduction in bowel polyps is the most likely explanation for this," said lead author Kathleen Wolin of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.

"Exercise has many benefits, including boosting the immune system, decreasing inflammation in the bowel and helping to reduce insulin levels -- all factors which we know are likely to have an effect on bowel polyp risk."

Half an hour's "moderate" exercise per day -- anything that leads to a slight shortage of breath -- and maintaining a reasonable weight are keys to reducing the risk of bowel cancer, said Cancer Research UK, which publishes the journal.

To quit smoking is definitely a wise choice. Associate more pleasure in quitting smoking and enjoying a healthy lifestyle than in smoking. Decide today!

Quit Smoking - Nicotine-Free 'Fake' Cigarettes May Help Smokers Quit

via Flickr (Julianne Corinne)

Article from WebMD:

May 13, 2011 -- Nicotine-free plastic inhalers -- fake cigarettes that allow people to simulate smoking -- may increase some smokers’ odds of quitting smoking, a study shows.

Unlike electronic or "e-cigarettes," the nicotine-free inhalers are billed in Europe as aids for people who are trying to quit smoking that can be used in conjunction with nicotine replacement, drugs for smoking cessation, and counseling.

The study is published online in the European Respiratory Journal.

Italian researchers studied 120 smokers who were enrolled in a program to help them quit smoking. All participants were regular smokers of at least 20 cigarettes a day for at least 10 years.

All participants were also treated with a nicotine patch, bupropion (sold in the U.S. as Zyban), and counseling.

They were divided into two groups, with one set of participants receiving the plastic inhalers, and the others following the usual program.

Questionnaires were used to determine the participants’ physical and behavioral dependence on cigarettes. After 24 weeks they were asked if they had been successful in attempts to abstain from smoking.

Quit-Smoking Success Rates

There was no significant difference in the quit rates of the two groups. But people who were found to be more behaviorally dependent on cigarettes had a threefold higher success rate when using the inhaler.

People who were identified as being most heavily dependent on the behavioral pattern of smoking had a quit rate of 66.7% in the group using the plastic inhalers, compared with 19.2% in the other group.

Researchers say that the results indicate that for smokers who rely on the handling of a cigarette as a behavioral pattern, nicotine-free inhalers could increase their chance of success when trying to quit.

"By showing a clear predictive association between the measure of behavioral dependence and relapse, our study is the first to reveal that the concept of behavioral addiction can be exploited as a useful clinical tool for many smokers to quit," Riccardo Polosa, MD, PhD, a professor at the 

University of Catania, says in a news release.

Polosa, who is also director of the University Institute of Internal Medicine and Clinical Immunology at Catania, says the research results "will open up a potentially novel area of research in smoking cessation."

Cigarette Alternative?

The inhalers used in the study, unlike e-cigarettes, consist of a fiber sponge filter plug soaked in naturally extracted herbal aroma oil and encased in a plastic cartridge container similar to a cigarette.

The FDA decided in April 2011 to oversee electronic cigarettes the same way it does tobacco products. E-cigarettes are powered by a battery and a liquid nicotine mixture derived from tobacco is converted into a vapor that can be inhaled.

But the device used in the study contains no nicotine. The device is called "Paipo," and its manufacturer claims it is safe for anyone using it.

"Smokers trying to quit have to cope not only with the pharmacologic aspect of nicotine addiction but also with the psychological components associated with tobacco dependence," the researchers. "Smoking is much more than the addicting effect of nicotine; the smoking habit is also the rituals that each smoker associates with his/her habit."

The plastic cigarettes are intended to substitute for the psychological part of addiction.

An online advertisement for Paipo bills the product as a "cigarette alternative" and says that even though people don’t light it, "it feels like the real thing."

The researchers say they received free supplies of the Paipo inhalers for the study, but do not report any other disclosures.

Now I know that there are two smoking alternatives, e-cigarettes and the inhaler types of smoking alternative. The question is, will it really make you quit smoking quick and safe? 

Quit Smoking - Australia Proposes Tough Cigarette Packaging Rules

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SYDNEY (AP) — Tobacco companies in Australia will be forced to strip all logos from their cigarette packages and replace them with graphic images such as cancer-riddled mouths and sickly children under legislation unveiled Thursday — a move the government says will make Australia the world's toughest country on tobacco advertising.

The law would remove one of the tobacco companies' last methods of advertising by banning them from printing their logos, promotional text or colorful images on cigarette packs. Instead, brand names will be printed in a small, uniform font, and the packets will be a dull olive green — a color the government believes consumers will hate.

"This plain packaging legislation is a world first and sends a clear message that the glamour is gone — cigarette packs will now only show the death and disease that can come from smoking," Health Minister Nicola Roxon said in a statement. "The new packs have been designed to have the lowest appeal to smokers and to make clear the terrible effects that smoking can have on your health."

Tobacco companies have been fighting the legislation and threatening legal action since the government first announced its plan last year. The law would be phased in over six months, starting in January 2012.

The legality of the measure and whether it violates trademark laws is a matter of debate among experts.British American Tobacco, which produces several cigarette brands including Winfield, Dunhill and Benson, will probably launch legal action against the government over the legislation, spokesman Scott McIntyre said.

"What company would stand for having its brands, which are worth billions, taken away from them?" McIntyre said. "A large brewing company or fast food chain certainly wouldn't and we're no different."

Smoking rates have been declining in Australia for years, but the government says cigarettes still kill 15,000 Australians a year and cost the country about $31.5 billion annually.

Tobacco advertising on billboards and in magazines has long been banned and restrictions on smoking in public places, including restaurants and bars, are common.

Public health advocates said the move to strip packages of their enticing images goes one critical step further, and will have a particularly big impact on children.

"Our research shows that the look of the pack is an important consideration for young people at risk of being drawn to smoking," Ian Olver, CEO of Cancer Council Australia, said in a statement. "So this move by the Australian government has the potential to be one of the most significant public health measures in recent history."

Other countries, such as Britain and Canada, have considered packaging restrictions in the past, but none of the measures has passed, in part because of legal questions.

The government is required under the constitution to pay compensation to anyone from whom it takes or devalues property, including intellectual property such as trademarks. But opinions are split on what the implications of those rules, and international trade laws, are in the case of cigarette packages.

Matthew Rimmer, a legal expert at The Australian National University, said the government is fully within its power to regulate the packaging of tobacco products.

"Trademarks are a government grant and governments always retain the capacity to regulate that grant," said Rimmer, who wrote a paper urging plain packaging of cigarettes in 2008. "So historically they've always had the provisions, for instance, to ban trademarks on certain things that are contrary to law."

Tim Wilson, an intellectual property and free trade expert at the Institute of Public Affairs in Australia, disagrees, saying the measure would violate international trademark and intellectual property regulations. Stripping the tobacco companies' logos from packaging diminishes the value of their trademarks, which is against the law, he said.

Threats of legal action from the tobacco industry will do nothing to dissuade the government from moving forward with the plan, said Roxon, the health minister.

"We believe we are on very strong legal grounds," she told journalists in Sydney. "We're not going to have 'big tobacco' scaring us with legal action. We want to make sure that the glamour that might have been attached to smoking in the past is dead and gone."

Article Source

Do you think this will push through? Well, in a future post we will include a sample of an Autralian campaign against smoking. So if I were you, I'd quit smoking today!

Quit Smoking - E-Cigarettes the Better Alternative, now in the Philippines!

Great news for all cigarette and non-cigarette smokers. At long last, the answer to a clean, healthy and safe smoke-free environment has finally arrived in the country, in full-support of the Department of Health’s (DOH) anti-lung cancer and healthy heart campaign. Electronic-Cigarette –dubbed the “healthier alternative to smoking” was recently launched in the Philippines by an all-Filipino owned firm – Denkat Trading, whose mission is provide Filipinos who ‘love the habit of smoking’ break its deadly side effects to healthy long life via what is considered a ‘healthier-option’ to smoking tobacco products –cigarettes, cigars or pipes. This world-famous electronic cigarette is a battery-powered device that provides inhaled doses of non-nicotine vaporized solution commonly called the ‘E-Juice’ or ‘E-Liquid’ which in turn, eliminates cancer substances that has led many a smoker to develop deadly cancer cells that attacks people regardless of age factor.

It also protects non-smokers from inhaling 2nd hand smoke that is bad for both the lungs and the heart, plus prevents the formation of yellow teeth (often called ‘smokers teeth’), the proliferation of air-pollution that hampers free-flow of oxygen, and is non-fire hazard. Aside from its health-factors, E-cigarette users get to save almost P14,000 per year, based on a two-pack per day consumption for one-year.

Free demonstration and digital display of E-Cigarettes may be seen at the following venues: 3rd Floor, Robinson’s Place Manila, M. Adriatico Street, Malate, Manila; 2nd Floor, Centermall (2 Bldg.) Tutuban Mall, CM Recto street, Manila; 1st Floor, 1S01 Phase 5 Bldg. 168 Shopping Mall, Soler street, Sta. Cruz, Manila and at SM Sta. Mesa 1st Floor, Ramon Magsaysay Street, Quezon City. Interested health enthusiasts may receive free info/data on the BFAD-Approved Denkat Electronic Cigaretes, via its Secretariat Office @ 257-0459/577-1962 or visit www.pcrus.ph.

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Quit Smoking - President Noynoy Aquino Won't Quit Smoking

via Flickr (chardinet)

President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III of the Liberal Party said he would no longer debate about his smoking habit with groups seeking to make him an anti-smoking poster boy.

And he isn’t quitting either – at least not at this time.

Aquino bared that he could finish a pack a day, and the most that he did was three packs due to tension during the snap elections in 1985.

Aquino pointed out that he ran and won with the people knowing that he was a smoker. His brand is Marlboro Lights menthol.

“At the appropriate time, I will stop. So long as I am within the law and I don’t inconvenience other people, I think this is part of the little freedom left for me,” Aquino said.

Aquino said he was not ready to quit because of the pressures of the job he is about to undertake and quitting smoking would add “unnecessary pressure” on him and affect his performance.

Told that it was for his own good, Aquino said he was aware of the health risks of smoking but “there is the so-called bad stress that I might experience.”

Article Source

At least he was aware of the health risks of smoking, but I think he'll resort to quit smoking if he knew how easy and fast it is as said by an expert here. A lot of debate is going on in quitting smoking in general. Especially here in the Philippines where smoking advertisements lurk in various media.