Not satisfied with its efforts to ban tobacco and demonize its users, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now taking aim at a potentially healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes, electronic cigarettes.

Electronic cigarettes (or e-cigarettes) are battery powered devices that emulate the look and feel of traditional cigarettes and deliver a vaporized nicotine solution directly to the lungs when smoked. The devices contain no tobacco and there is no combustion involved in their operation.

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PHOENIX — State legislators and the governor acted illegally in taking $7 million from a 2006 tobacco tax initiative to instead balance the state budget, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Friday.

The justices rejected arguments that lawmakers are free to reallocate investment and interest income from the money raised by the tax as long as they do not touch the tax revenues themselves. (more…)

Electronic cigarettes contain traces of toxic substances and carcinogens, according to a preliminary analysis of the products by the Food and Drug Administration.

The findings, which were announced on Wednesday, contradict claims by electronic cigarette manufacturers that their products are safe alternatives to tobacco and contain little more than water vapor, nicotine and propylene glycol, which is used to create artificial smoke in theatrical productions. When heated, the liquid produces a vapor that users inhale through the battery-powered device. (more…)

President Obama recently signed into law the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which grants the FDA authority to regulate tobacco products, as well as putting restrictions on tobacco marketing and advertising.

The FDA will now be able to reduce the nicotine content and regulate the chemicals in cigarettes. Tobacco companies will no longer be allowed to target children by adding flavors, other than menthol, to cigarettes in order to improve taste and make them seem more appealing. (more…)

The Pentagon said today that it will not ban the use of tobacco in the military, the Associated Press reports.

The announcement comes after a study commissioned by the Pentagon and the Department of Veteran Affairs recommended terminating the use and sale of tobacco products on military property. The study also recommended the military ensure enlistees are smoke-free.

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Politicians throw our money away by the billions and our President by the trillions. What they can’t steal or give away to their friends they build bridges to nowhere and breed rodents. What they can do is act holier-than-thou and decide what you drink, what you wear (seatbelts or helmets) and now what you smoke.

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Health experts at the Pentagon want a ban on the sale and use of tobacco in the military, USA Today reports.

A study commissioned by the Pentagon and Veteran Affairs recommends banning the product in phases over the next several years. Additionally, it suggests that “achieving a tobacco-free military begins by closing the pipeline of new tobacco users entering the military and by promoting cessation programs to ensure abstinence” – which means requiring all enlisting members to be tobacco-free, Army.com reports.

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Congress gave the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) jurisdiction over tobacco in June, but don’t look for any quick changes in tobacco policy, products, or marketing. The agency is asking the public for guidance before jumping into regulation.

“We’re interested in receiving input from across the country as the FDA begins to implement this important new authority intended to reduce the enormous toll of suffering and death caused by tobacco products in the United States,” said Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, MD. (more…)

The 111th Congress of the United States’ acceptance of the “Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act” represents a blow to the liberties of Americans and further erosion to the integrity of the Constitution of the United States. The act gives massive new powers to the FDA in all things tobacco related. Under the new law all businesses involved in the production, processing, packaging and distribution of tobacco must register with the FDA and comply with unwarranted FDA inspections. (more…)

The Association seeks a ban on smoking on the campuses of federal buildings and wants to study the role of electronic cigarettes in smoking cessation.
Chicago The American Medical Association reaffirmed its commitment to tobacco control at its Annual Meeting in the wake of recently passed legislation supporting the organization’s long-held position that the Food and Drug Administration should regulate cigarettes and other nicotine products.

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