Smoking

Smoking cigarettes is the number one risk factor for lung cancer, with tobacco products causing up to 90 percent of lung cancer deaths in the United States. Without a doubt, the safest way to protect yourself against lung cancer is to avoid smoking cigarettes, and yet, at the same time, it's also true that not all lifelong smokers are doomed to develop cancer.  In fact, the vast majority don't. Scientists have long wondered why, and a new study adds weight to the idea that genetics has a role to play.Among people who…

Legislation pending in New Jersey's statehouse would end the exemption Atlantic City casinos have long enjoyed from a statewide ban on indoor smoking in public places. About 2,500 casino workers have united to push for the ban. And the state's governor supports it, as well."If a bill came to my desk, I would sign it," Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, said in December.The casino industry is fighting the effort, saying it's worried about a ban's potential impact on jobs and profits.The move could cost about 2,500 jobs, said a…

Under the proposal, subject to shareholder approval, investors in the Stockholm-based company will receive 106 Swedish krona in cash for each share held. The price represents a 39% premium to the company’s share price of 76.50 Swedish krona on Friday, the day before The Wall Street Journal reported that the companies were in talk. In the U.S.—Swedish Match’s largest market, followed by Scandinavia—the company’s ZYN nicotine-pouch brand dominates a market that includes rival offerings from Altria…

According to a new systematic review, non-invasive brain stimulation may improve smoking abstinence rates 3 to 6 months after quitting.Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) may improve smoking abstinence rates 3 to 6 months after quitting, according to a new systematic review published in the scientific journal Addiction.NIBS has emerged as a new therapeutic option for alcohol use disorder and other substance-related and addictive disorders in recent years. Although NIBS methods have shown promising results in the…

Seismogram of the June 10, 2019, magnitude 4.0 Lake Erie earthquake, recorded at the University of Michigan seismic station in Ann Arbor. Image credit: University of Michigan In June 2019, a magnitude 4.0 earthquake occurred beneath Lake Erie just off the shoreline of Ohio, about 20 miles northeast of Cleveland. …

Philip Morris International Inc. PM 1.79% is in advanced talks to acquire Swedish Match SWMA -0.58% AB, according to people familiar with the matter, in a deal that could be valued at roughly $15 billion or more and bolster the tobacco giant’s exposure to the rapidly growing market for smoke-free brands.The talks between U.S.-based Philip Morris and Stockholm-based Swedish Match could yield a deal as soon as this week,…

People who smoke cannabis more than once a month have an increased risk of heart disease and heart attack, a new study has found – but the same study has also identified a mechanism and a molecule that may counteract the risk.  While links between weed and poor heart health have already been identified, the latest research sheds more light on the mechanisms behind the relationship, as well as analyzing data from a huge sample: half a million individuals.In further tests on mice, the study also found that…