I don't know if you have heard the news yet but CVS will stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco-related products. They say that selling cigarettes is in contrast with there policy of promoting healthy.

To find out more about this just click here.

According to one online article the fact that CVS will phase out cigarettes and other tobacco-related products will decrease their profit rate by2 BILLION dollars!

I don't know about the other smokers that read this blog but my personal opinion is that I won't be doing any more of my shopping at the CVS stores on September 30th.

What are your opinions about this?

Labels: In The News, Links

Large E-Cigarette Company Settles Law Suit Makes Major Concessions, Copycat Suits Likely One of the country's largest e-cigarette [e-cig] companies has been forced to make major concessions to settle a law suit which threatened to put it out of business, says Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), the national legal-action antismoking organization which helped inspire the legal action. Under the legally-binding settlement agreement, the company agreed not to sell e-cigs to minors, sell flavored e-cig cartridges that could appeal to minors, advertise its product as a device that can help people quit smoking, sell cartridges that contain vitamins unless they're scientifically proven to boost health, or claim its e-cigs are safer than tobacco cigarettes without scientific proof. Previous law suits actually stopped several e-cig companies from continuing to do business in a state, notes public interest law professor John Banzhaf, Executive Director of ASH. The settlement comes on the heels of an announcement by ASH of a new scientific study highlighting new dangers to users of e-cigs. http://www.prlog.org/10831614-cigarettes-new-potential-dangers-for-users-and-new-ban-in-singapore.html The Food and Drug Administration [FDA] had already concluded that e-cigs pose "acute health risks," that the "danger posed by the unrestricted distribution of [these] unregulated products containing toxic chemicals cannot seriously be questioned," and that they have caused a wide variety of potentially serious problems "including racing pulse, dizziness, slurred speech, mouth ulcers, heartburn, coughing, diarrhea, and sore throat." It has declared the products "illegal." Many medical experts, as well as major public health organizations, share these concerns, and have argued for many of the restrictions included in this new legal settlement. E-cigs have already been banned in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, and Singapore, restricted in Finland and Malaysia, are pending restriction in the UK as a drug, and the subject of law suits in several states. In part as a result of urging by ASH, New Jersey and Suffolk County, NY, have prohibited their use in no-smoking sections, and New York is also moving to ban them. E-cigs, which emit into the air a mixture of nicotine (a deadly and addictive drug which can contribute to fatal heart attacks), propylene glycol (a respiratory irritant used in antifreeze and known to cause respiratory tract infections), and other substances the FDA has labeled "carcinogenic" and "toxic," can also be used to administer other dangerous substances. ASH has previously reported to the FDA instances in which e-cigs are being marketed as containing Ciallis, as well as others containing a potent form of marijuana. http://www.cigarettesreviews.com/fda-may-ban-marijuana-e-cigarettes

Banzhaf suggests that this very recent legal victory will probably encourage additional law suits against e-cig companies, since the legal complaints which initiated them as well as the settlements are public documents which can easily be copied and/or rewritten by others. With minor modifications, they can easily be used in other jurisdictions also, he notes. ASH is actively encouraging such law suits, says Banzhaf.

ASH does not oppose the use of e-cigs to help smokers quit. But it has actively sought - through legal action, regulation, and legislation - to attain many of the goals just achieved in this settlement. These including restrictions on the sale to minors, prevention of misleading claims, bans on kid-friendly-flavors, etc.

For a copy of the settlement, see http://ash.org/settlementcalecig

PROFESSOR JOHN F. BANZHAF III Professor of Public Interest Law at GWU, FAMRI Dr. William Cahan Distinguished Professor, FELLOW, World Technology Network, and Executive Director and Chief Counsel Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) America's First Antismoking Organization 2013 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20006, USA (202) 659-4310 // (703) 527-8418 Internet: http://ash.org/

Labels: In The News, Links, Misc

Now here is a very interesting article that I found online!

One company has forbidden smoking anywhere on it's grounds! An interesting question has been raised - "Can a worker be fired for smoking?". It raises an interesting question! One person has already sued another company that they worked for saying that they were fired because he still continued to smoke! (The case is still pending!)

Personally I think it's wrong and it's one of the reasons that I'm glad that I work from home!

You can read the article yourself by clicking here.

There is even a blog posting about a government grant program that is going to start to help promote a more "healthier" lifestyle and that includes providing government grant money to business that start some type of smoking preventative program! You can read that blog post by clicking here.

Other Comments

I am a partial smoker but use an electronic cigarette as an alternative to having a real cigarette when I need to. Employers should look into allowing electronic cigarettes in the workplace as they are quickly being accepted in many areas and making national news as to the healthier advantage and lower cost to conventional cigarettes.

Labels: In The News, Links

Got an interesting comment from someone who is also a smoker who has come up with a website of their own where they list places that are "smoker-friendly". Since he is a smoker and travels all over the world he looks for places that are smoker-friendly where he can sit and enjoy smoking his cigarette.

That's good to know and I'm sure that a lot of smokers (and especially those that travel) would love to know the locations of places where they would be able to enjoy smoking - along with other people who feel the same way!

It's just good to know that places like these are around so that smokers can enjoy them!

Labels: Comments From Others, Experiences and Musings And Observations, Links

I found this very interesting online article about people who are using the money that they have to pay their bills - they are using that money to buy cigarettes! One interesting example is someone who used part of their bill money to pay for cigarettes!

Am I shocked by this article? Actually no I'm not! What I'm shocked about is that there are at least other people out there who have at least thought about using the money that they have to pay their bills - that they would actually think about using that money to pay for cigarettes - because I have at least thought about it myself! I'm at least glad to see that there are others out there who have at least thought about it!

Those of us who have experience with not being able to pay our bills in full each month know that sometimes one can get away with not paying a bill for one or two months before the "notices" begin! If you are really considered being a low-incomed person then you may be able to get some financial help for your bills such as government grants or some other kind of financial program and the money that you have saved could then be used to pay for your cigarettes.

Even President Obama smokes and at least he's honest about it!

I'm always surprised by the poll on the side of this blog where people have voted that they think that their cigarette habit is more worse than my own - I'm always shocked by that but at least I know that I am not alone! Which is quite encouraging!

You can read the article by clicking here.

Labels: Experiences and Musings And Observations, Links, Paying For Cigarettes

The new

I Am A Smoker And Proud Of It!

has recently been updated and moved to a new hosting site!

If you would like to add your name and a link to your site, just visit the

I Am A Smoker And Proud Of It website to find out more information about it.

Of course this is my attempt at earning extra money for myself besides having the Adsense ads - let's be honest here!

So if you would like to advertise your own link for as little as $10 a month be sure to visit the site and find out more information about how you can advertise a link to your website or blog as well!

Labels: Links, Proud Smokers Link, Related Sites, Yes I Smoke