MDQuit News Archive - February 2009

While cigarette smoking rates decline, little cigar use is on the rise -- February 26, 2009
The Maxwell Report is indicating shifting usage statistics in tobacco products over the past 10 years. While cigarette use has decreased by roughly 25 percent in the past 10 years, use of cigarillos and little cigars has increased dramatically. Specifically, little cigar use has increased by about 240 percent, and cigarillo use has increased by roughly 150 percent. A dramatic increase in use by the African American demographic has been especially prevelant. Part of the increase in usage rates may be explained by the currently disparity in taxes between cigarettes and cigar products. While cigarettes are heavily taxed by the state and federal governments, cigar product users enjoy lower tax rates. Read more here.

Teenage smokers may be more likely to become depressed in adulthood -- February 26, 2009
A recent study published in the research journal Neuropsychopharmacology suggests that neurobiological changes produced by exposure to nicotine in adolescence can lead to adult depression. While correlational evidence has already demonstrated the relation between tobacco consumption and mood disorders, this study is unique in that it is one of the first to demonstrate how tobacco consumption during the developmental years can have long-term neurobiological consequences. In the study, adolescent rats were either injected with nicotine or saline based solutions for 15 days. Depression-like symptoms were noticed in the adult rats injected with the nicotine solution. The now adult rats had lower sensitivity to sucrose rewards and were higher sensitivity to anxiety-inducing situations. Read more about the study here.

Study highlights parental smoking influence on their teens -- February 26, 2009
A recent study by the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston has strengthened the association that parents smoking status has an effect on whether or not their teens decide to smoke. While it is not known whether one parent has a stronger effect than the other, these findings suggest that a parent quitting smoking lowers the likelihood that their teen will pick up the habit. Children of smokers under the age of 12 were 3.6 times more likely to smoke than children of non-smokers, while adolescent children of smokers age 13 or older were  1.7 times more likely to smoke than adolescents of non-smokers. Read more here.

Increase in federal cigarette tax -- February 24, 2009
The federal government has enacted an additional tax on cigarettes, raising the former figure by an additional $0.62 per pack. This increase, which is scheduled to go into on effect April 1, 2009, hopes to not only curb youth smoking rates but also to raise revenue for the State Children's Health Insurance Program bill, or SCHIP for short.

Connection between smoking and low-birth weight becomes clearer -- February 24, 2009
Danish researchers have published their work on a biochemical explanation for the link between low-birth weight children and their smoking mothers in the Feb. 2^nd online issue of Circulation. The researchers have found that smoking lowers the production of an enzyme responsible for blood vessel dilation. This enzyme has been identified as endothelial nitric oxide synthase, abbreviated eNOS. Failure to properly regulate blood vessel dilation can result in a number of problems including lower birth weight, shorter length, and smaller head circumference. Read more here.