Experts Worry About Fading Attention to Smoking Threat:

The U.S. smoking rate rose in 2008 for the first time in 15 years, and experts worry that the public has become complacent about the public-health threat posed by tobacco use.

Georgia Bans Tobacco in All Prisons:

Georgia’s Department of Corrections will start phasing out smoking and tobacco use in its 37 facilities beginning Jan. 1.

Family Dinners Still Popular in U.S. Homes:

More than 60 percent of families in the U.S. said they ate family dinners together at least five nights during the past week, according to a new survey .

Male Athletes Drink More, Smoke Less, Study Finds:

Adolescent males who play team sports are less likely to smoke cigarettes or be depressed but are more likely to drink alcohol and get into fights, whereas sports participation generally reduces risky behavior among girls.

Crushing Virtual Cigarettes to Squish Addiction:

Can destroying cyber-cigarettes help smokers quit? Surprisingly, a new study says yes.

CDC Finds Little New Progress in Cutting Smoking:

About 20 percent of adults in the U.S. were regular smokers last year, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is concerned that the numbers of adult smokers failed to decline significantly after a decade of near-steady progress against the nation's top cause of preventable deaths.

Medicaid Programs Limit Coverage for Smoking Cessation:

Most state Medicaid programs offer some type of coverage for smoking-cessation programs, but just two states cover treatment completely, according to research from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Maker of Stop-Smoking Products Eyed by Reynolds:

A firm that makes nicotine gum and other smoking-cessation products could soon become part of the Reynolds American, Inc., tobacco company.

Don't Switch to 'Lights' to Quit Smoking, Researchers Say:

Switching to so-called light cigarettes won't improve your health or help you quit smoking, experts say.

Injunction Denied in Tobacco Firms' FDA Case:

A courtroom bid to block implementation of the FDA tobacco-regulation law filed by a top cigarette company has been denied by a federal judge.

FDA's Tobacco Unit Unaffected by Lawsuits:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration continues to set up its new tobacco-regulation unit despite pending lawsuits from tobacco companies such as Reynolds American, Inc., and Lorillard, Inc.

Combine Nicotine Patch, Lozenges to Quit Smoking, Researchers Say:

A study comparing five pharmaceutical approaches to quitting smoking found that mixing nicotine patches and lozenges was the most effective, in part because it seemed to best duplicate the highs and lows of nicotine addiction faced by smokers.

Smoking During Pregnancy May Predispose Kids to Behavioral Problems:

Women who smoked during pregnancy were more likely to report having children with behavioral problems, and researchers think the reason could be fetal brain damage.

Company Designs Filter to Remove Some Cigarette Toxins:

A Hong Kong biotech firm has designed a filter that removes some of the toxic chemicals from cigarette smoke but leaves the tobacco flavor intact.

Address Drinking, Smoking to Raise Life Expectancy: WHO:

About one in four premature deaths worldwide can be traced to five preventable health factors -- alcohol use, poor childhood nutrition, unsafe sex, bad sanitation and hygiene, and high blood pressure -- according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

U.K. Drug Czar Fired for Saying Illegal Drugs Less Harmful Than Alcohol, Cigarettes:

U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has fired his drug czar after David Nutt said that LSD and ecstasy are less dangerous drugs than alcohol or tobacco.

Smoking May Hinder Arthritis Treatment :

Several recent studies have found that smoking cigarettes may trigger rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or hinder the treatment of RA.

Researchers Probe Smokeless Tobacco's Relative Safety:

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and academic researchers are examining whether smokeless-tobacco products can potentially be viewed as a safer alternative to smoking.

Light Smoking Impairs Arterial Health, Study Finds:

Young smokers suffer reduced cardiovascular function even if they smoke only a few cigarettes per day, according to research from Stella Daskalopoulou at the McGill University Health Center.

Federal Government Pushes Development of Addiction Vaccines:

The federal government wants to leverage interest and investment in vaccine development to get pharmaceutical companies to develop drugs that could "inoculate" people against addiction to cocaine, nicotine, and other substances.

Leading Health Reform Bill Allows Higher Premiums for Smokers, Not Other Drug Users:

Health insurers would be allowed to charge smokers higher rates under the Senate Finance Committee's healthcare reform bill, but no such provisions are in place for users of illicit drugs.

New York May Try Collecting Cigarette Taxes from Native Americans:

New York lawmakers are considering collecting unpaid taxes on cigarettes sold by Native American tribes to non-Indians as a way to help address the state’s budget deficit.

Utah Legislature Considers $2 Cigarette Tax:

A Utah state Senator wants to raise the tobacco tax from 69.5 cents per pack to $2 per pack in order to help address a budget shortfall, and experts say a tax hike is likely to pass.

Canadian Governments Seek Huge Sums from Tobacco Industry:

Various liability claims by Canadian governments against tobacco companies could total nearly $200 billion.

Judge to Rule on FDA Oversight of e-Cigarettes:

A federal judge may soon decide whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the authority to regulate electronic (e-) cigarettes as drug-delivery devices.

Mass. Court Clears Lawsuit Seeking Diagnostic Tests Paid by Tobacco Industry:

Tobacco companies can be sued by smokers seeking to compel the firms to pay for diagnostic screenings for possible lung cancer, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled.