John Greene is one of Hong Kong’s 800,000 or so smokers who’ve been grappling with a citywide smoking ban that came into effect this year.
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The long-time smoker jokes the ban has overturned one of the traditions of the century-old Kowloon Cricket Club he belongs to.

“They really hit us on the head when they let women in here,” he quips, a plastic nicotine inhaler between his lips.

“But this is almost as bad as that,” he adds before cueing a shot in the club’s once smoky snooker den.

Unlike France, which will allow smokers to ease into the new year before implementing a partial smoking ban in February, Hong Kong’s ban came into effect at midnight on New Year’s eve.

The new laws bring Hong Kong, a city of seven million, in line with places like Ireland, New York and California, by banning smoking in offices, restaurants, most parks and beaches.

So far, implementation seems to have been smooth, with the government’s team of enforcement inspectors only prosecuting seven violators since last week.

While some of the city’s restaurants and “cha chan teng”, or hole-in-the-wall eateries, have begrudged the dip in business from the ban, others showed signs of embracing change.

“There’s been no effect on our business,” said Wong Sing-fan, the bespectacled boss of the 56-year-old Mido cafe in Yaumatei, as she stood behind her cash register. “I welcome the ban.”

Across the harbour in the raucous Red Box Karaoke lounge in the teeming Causeway Bay district, managing director Anthony Lock said business had fallen up to 20 percent on the first weekend after the ban, with clients consuming less and leaving earlier.

But for regular karaoke crooners like John Chan, the ban was something to savour whilst belting out the latest Canto-pop hits.

“It’s super, I don’t have to smell like cigarettes all day.”

Violators face fines of up to HK$5,000 (330 pounds) after a court summons, though the government says spot fines could be introduced within 18 months.

The government has proclaimed the smoking ban a success so far, but critics say it has instead forced smokers onto busy streets where smoking is still allowed, and to other spots where enforcement is problematic, such as in stairways and toilets.

“Now, if we need a smoke, we go out. We run in and out of buildings all day,” said Ah Chun, a teenager who was lighting up with five friends on a crowded shopping street.

The ban is also not absolute, with over 800 bars, saunas, nightclubs and mahjong parlours granted exemptions till mid-2009.

Anti-smoking advocates are hopeful the Hong Kong’s ban will set a precedent for tougher smoking laws in China, which has 350 million smokers, more than any other country.

Esther Ng, a social smoker and reveller at the Lan Kwai Fong nightlife hub, complains the ban will not resolve one of Hong Kong’s most pressing problems — the pollution which the University of Hong Kong estimates kills 1,600 people a year and costs $HK21.2 billion.

“Having the ban’s one thing. But what the government really needs to do is sort out the air pollution,” she says. “That’s what’s really killing us.”

Source: Scotsman.com

Tags: Anti-smoking, anti-smoking-hong-kong, cost-of-smoking, health, Non-Smokers, quit-smoking, smoke, smokers, smoking, smoking-ban, smoking-ban-hong-kong, smoking-cost, smoking-costs, stop-smoking, stopping-smoking, toxins

We’re still barely into 2007, so if you haven’t made a list of New Year’s resolutions, the year is still young! For many Americans, topping that list this year is quitting smoking. But resolving to kick the habit is not only good for your body, it’s also great for your wallet. Ray Hennessey, Editor of SmartMoney.com, crunched the numbers and offers this advice.

Besides the cost of buying cigarettes themselves, you’re probably spending more money on life insurance than a non-smoker. “On average, you’re paying close to a thousand dollars more per year… if you have a half million dollar policy, which a lot of people have,” says Hennessey. But, the moment you stop smoking, your premium will go down.

Life insurance isn’t the only thing that may cost you more: your health insurance costs will go up too. Smokers pay, on average, close to five hundred dollars more each year than non-smokers. “That’s understandable,” says Hennessey. “Nobody wants to pay down the line – the risks of lung cancer, emphysema, diabetes, all the problems that are associated with smoking.” Because smokers are at a higher risk for these and other diseases, health insurance companies charge them more to cover costs that may crop up later in life.

Smokers can lose money when it comes to their cars as well. Car resale values go down by almost two-thousand dollars if the car was owned by a smoker. “It’s [money] you lose simply because of the smoke in the car, the wear and tear that comes from the cigarette burns,” says Hennessey. “I tell a lot of people to lease a car rather than buy. You cannot lease a car if you’re a smoker because those burns will kill you when you go to bring it back in and you can never get the smell out.”

So when it comes to making your New Year’s resolutions, this year, consider quitting smoking. It may be a good move health-wise, but it doesn’t hurt financially either.

Source: CBS News

Tags: Anti-smoking, cost-of-smoking, health, Non-Smokers, quit-smoking, smoke, smokers, smoking, smoking-cost, smoking-costs, stop-smoking, stopping-smoking, toxins

Crew members filming a Bollywood anti-smoking movie will have to cough up a fine if they are caught puffing up on the set, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

Kumar Mangat, the producer of “No Smoking,” told the Mumbai Mirror newspaper that he has hired a cameraman to catch offenders in action.

“Many people try to smoke on the sly, so I have told my cameraman to be very alert at all times,” said Mangat. “Sometimes when caught the offenders protest that 500 rupees (US$11) is too high an amount,” the daily quoted Mangat as saying.

However, he insists they pay up and plans to donate 112,000 rupees (US$2,488; euro1,874.91) collected over the past two months to a cancer hospital.

The movie is about a chain smoker, played by Bollywood heartthrob John Abraham, who undergoes rehab to help him stop smoking and save his marriage.

Abraham has quit smoking and has not been caught cheating, he said.

Among those recently fined was upcoming actor Ranvir Shorey.

“I think this fine is a bit heavy on the pocket, but it’s done in good spirit,” Shorey told the newspaper. “Anyway I’m trying to quit smoking, so I think this should help.”

Source: AP

Tags: Anti-smoking, health, india, Non-Smokers, quit-smoking, quit-smoking-india, smoke, smokers, smoking, stop-smoking, stopping-smoking, toxins

Robbie Williams has vowed to quit smoking.

The singer, who smokes up to 60 cigarettes a day, has already given up drugs and alcohol and now wants to kick another unhealthy habit.

Robbie – who was fined £60 for smoking onstage in Australia last week – is so desperate to quit nicotine he has even planned to visit a hypnotist on New Year’s Eve.

He said: “I want to give them up for good in 2007. Seeing a hypnotist on New Year’s Eve seems a good idea to me.”

The ‘Angels’ singer has made several attempts to give up cigarettes in the past including a fitness drive last summer.

However, Robbie gave into temptation after just a few weeks – because he was worried about piling on the pounds.

He admitted at the time: “I smoke loads and I really don’t want to anymore. But I’m terrified of giving up. I’m a fat bloke inside this body and the minute I stop smoking, I will put on weight.”

Tags: Anti-smoking, celebrity-smoking, quit-smoking, quitspeed, quitting-smoking, robbie-williams, smoke, smokers, smoking, stop-smoking, stopping-smoking

Smokers who kick the habit today will have signs of a healthier heart as early as Christmas, campaigners have said.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) said every extra day after quitting helped smokers reduce their risk of heart problems in the future.

It came as the charity continued its Under My Skin advertising campaign, with thousands of posters appearing on billboards around the UK to remind smokers of the damage their habit causes to their health.

BHF medical spokeswoman, Dr Charmaine Griffiths, said: “Smokers’ risk of having a heart attack plummets after quitting.

“After just two weeks, your circulation has improved and blood vessels are becoming more efficient at carrying blood and oxygen around your body.

“A healthy heart is the greatest gift you can give yourself and your loved ones.

“The lead up to Christmas is a good time to plan a quit attempt and success can be just a phone call away.”

The latest campaign, which includes TV and radio ads, features the disturbing image of a lump rippling under a smoker’s skin to symbolise the unseen damage caused by smoking.

It also carries the message that every 35 minutes a smoker dies needlessly from a heart attack when a blood clot blocks a coronary artery.

Research shows that support from the NHS Stop Smoking advisors combined with nicotine replacement therapy can increase a smoker’s likelihood of quitting by up to four times.

Dr Griffiths said: “If all smokers were to trade cigarettes for nicotine patches or chewing gum tomorrow, we would see a dramatic fall in the number of deaths from heart disease.

“On average, UK smokers who die in middle age lose 21 years of life – so being smoke-free can actually add years to your life.”

Public health minister Caroline Flint said: “We know that smoking is the biggest cause of heart disease in this country.

“One in five deaths from coronary heart disease are directly attributed to smoking and could be avoided.

“It is important that people are made aware of the damage they are doing to their bodies by continuing to smoke.

“This advert is an effective way of communicating the risks to a wide audience.

“I am confident that it will act as a motivation for people to contact the NHS Stop Smoking Services for their best chance of giving up for good.”

The BHF is urging smokers to call their helpline – 0800 169 1900 – or visit their website www.bhf.org.uk/smoking for advice on quitting.

Source: Daily Mail

Tags: Anti-smoking, BHF, british-heart-foundation, Quit Smoking UK, quit-smoking, quit-smoking-xmas, quitting-smoking, smokers, smoking, smoking-uk, stop-smoking, stopping-smoking