Category Archives: ecigarettes
Big Tobacco, Is it Still a Problem?
Tobacco products have been illegal to advertise for years, now. We do not hear about it as often and it becomes the question of “is it still a problem?”. The answer, bluntly, is yes. Smoking still affects many people, including youth between the ages of 12 and 18. Though smoking cigarettes has gone down in quantity of people smoking them, nicotine use is still a dangerous fad, being offered in more varieties than it once was.
In New Jersey, the legal age to buy tobacco is 21. But, 8.1% of high schoolers have reported smoking and over 12% have reported using e-cigarettes, which still contain a high amount of nicotine. It is a good measure that the legal age has been raised, but it is clear that this has not deterred underage persons from smoking.
Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, as per the CDC. “More than 10 times as many U.S. citizens have died prematurely from cigarette smoking than have died in all the wars fought by the United States,” stated the CDC. Aside from death, cigarette smoking leads to other major diseases like cancer, chronic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and minor ailments like wrinkles, yellowed teeth, Raynaud’s.
Cigarettes also effect the environment, which is something we do not always think about it. Cigarettes are a leading cause of deforestation because of growing the tobacco. Aside from just growing the tobacco, having enough paper to roll the cigarettes or to sell separately as rolling paper further influences deforestation.
A more obvious effect on the environment is air pollution. Not only is air pollution happening as people continue to smoke cigarettes, but the production process creates mass amounts of air pollutants, including greenhouse gasses.
So, though Big Tobacco has moved to the backburner in a lot of citizen’s minds, it is still an extremely pertinent issue. Big tobacco is ruining lives by continuing to cause health hazards, the issue that has been pressed for a while now. But, it is important to see the impacts that big tobacco is placing on the environment, too. As e-cigarettes and vapes rise up in popularity, we cannot forget or stop pushing for the end of cigarette smoking and big tobacco.
With overdoses on the rise, opioid programs come to Morris
- Four Prosecutor’s Office heroin programs heading to Morris towns
In a continued effort to fight the heroin and opioid epidemic, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office is hosting four symposiums in several county high schools over the next few weeks.
In Morris County, fatal opiate overdoses jumped from 43 in 2015 to 64 in 2016. There have been at least 23 overdoses so far in 2017, on track to greatly exceed last year’s total.
Prosecutor Fredric Knapp is hoping the ongoing public programs will continue to raise awareness of the heroin and opioid epidemic and show how to combat it.
Prograns will be held in: Montville, Roxbury, Dover, and Kinnelon
Click the link below to read the full story:
http://www.dailyrecord.com/story/news/local/morris-county/2017/04/20/overdoses-rise-opioid-programs-come-morris/100702728/
March Prevention Column
E-Cigarettes… The Not-So Safe Alternative
Many people are turning to e-cigarettes, or “vaping”, as an alternative to smoking cigarettes. This new trend is continuing to become more and more popular, and is conveying the idea that vaping is a safe alternative to smoking, and possesses no danger.
Recent studies have found a hidden form of formaldehyde in e-cigarette vapor. In fact, formaldehyde was found in a different form than regular formaldehyde, and this form could increase the likelihood that it would get deposited into a person’s lungs. Additionally, this form of formaldehyde was found at significantly higher concentrations than regular cigarettes (between 5% and 15% higher!)
So what? Well, formaldehyde is a known carcinogen – this means it is known to cause cancer, in this case, of the lungs. The formaldehyde differs based on the setting someone is using on their electronic cigarette device. Many people report using e-cigarettes at high settings.
Regardless, much is left unknown about the facts and dangers of vaping. Since this trend is so new, the public knows very little about long term outcomes. Don’t forget, at one point a doctor could smoke a cigarette while you were visiting with him or her, and smoking in schools was acceptable. It was only once these horrific dangers came out that a change occurred. The reason we do not know about vaping dangers is NOT because there are not any, but rather the dangerous results have not appeared yet.
