Tag

Tobacco

All articles tagged with #tobacco

business17 days ago•3 min saved

Waffle House Hit With $5M Tobacco-Surcharge Class Action

A former Waffle House server in Georgia filed a proposed class-action alleging the chain illegally charged tobacco-using employees an extra $92 per month for health insurance, in what plaintiffs say violates ERISA. The suit says workers could avoid the fee only if they joined a smoking-cessation program (Quit for Life), but the company allegedly failed to clearly disclose this option and kept surcharge proceeds instead of applying them to the health plan. The lawsuit seeks more than $5 million in damages for employees nationwide who paid the surcharge in the past six years.

via New York Post|

#business #erisa #health-insurance

health20 days ago•397 min saved

FDA clears ZYN nicotine pouches as lower-risk alternative to cigarettes

The FDA authorized 20 ZYN nicotine pouch products (in 3 mg and 6 mg strengths) to be marketed as lower risk than cigarettes, though not as a quit-smoking aid. The approval requires five years of post-market studies on risk perception and youth uptake, with the possibility of reversal if youth use rises. Experts warn nicotine addiction remains a concern and that many users may not fully switch from smoking, even as some flavors appeal to younger people.

via NBC News|

#fda #health #nicotine-pouches

business22 days ago•2 min saved

BAT bets on AI to trim costs, cutting about 9,000 jobs

British American Tobacco will slash about 9,000 roles (roughly 19% of staff) as part of a transformation to become more digital and AI-enabled, with 5,500 cuts and 3,500 outsourced, targeting £600m in annual cost savings by 2028. US operations will be spared; BAT has previously partnered with Accenture for outsourcing and AI solutions, while shifting investment toward nicotine alternatives and smoke-free products amid falling traditional cigarette volumes.

via The Guardian|

#ai #business #cost-cutting

business22 days ago•0 min saved

BAT toaxe nearly 9,000 jobs in pivot to digital, vaping focus

British American Tobacco will cut about 9,000 roles (5,500 directly and 3,500 via outsourcing), equivalent to roughly a fifth of its global workforce, as part of a cost-cutting drive to be more digital and AI-focused. The savings target is around £600 million a year by 2028. The US operations are not affected, and BAT, which employs about 47,000 people, is shifting toward smoke-free products like Vuse and Velo as traditional cigarette sales decline, though overall sales and margins have been sluggish amid consumer shifts and higher US living costs.

via BBC|

#ai #business #cost-cutting

science1 month ago•4 min saved

Decoded Nicotine Blueprint in Tobacco Sparks New Biotech Possibilities

A UK-Danish team unraveled the genes and enzymes that synthesize nicotine in tobacco, showing nicotine forms from glucose with the help of two enzymes (NaGR and NicGS) and glucose disappearing in the process—a discovery that solves a 200-year mystery and could let researchers suppress nicotine production or retool tobacco plants to manufacture vaccines and other pharmaceuticals. The work highlights new biotech applications for tobacco as a production platform, beyond smoking products, and was published in Nature Communications.

via ScienceAlert|

#biosynthesis #biotechnology #nicotine

health1 month ago•3 min saved

U.S. smoking at a historic low as 1 in 11 adults still lights up

CDC data show smoking among U.S. adults fell to a record low of about 9% (1 in 11) in 2025, continuing decades of decline. While e-cigarette use hovered around 7%, public health advocates credit campaigns like Tips from Former Smokers for helping quitters and reducing healthcare costs, and urge restoring funding for anti-smoking efforts to sustain progress.

via New York Post|

#cdc #ecigarettes #health

health2 months ago•7 min saved

Cannabis and Tobacco Co-Use Linked to Near-Threefold Psychosis Risk in At-Risk Youth

A multisite study of over 1,000 individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis finds that using cannabis and tobacco together markedly raises long-term risk of developing a full psychotic disorder—about 2.9 times higher than non-users—compared with single-substance use. The effect is partly biological, as smoking tobacco increases cannabis THC absorption, potentially accelerating brain changes. Short-term symptoms rise with either substance, but the major difference appears over time in conversion risk, especially for heavy cannabis use paired with light tobacco use. Stopping both substances could reduce risk, highlighting the need to address co-use in at-risk populations. For those with established psychosis, ongoing tobacco use is linked to a roughly 20-year decrease in life expectancy due to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

via Neuroscience News|

#cannabis #co-use #health

health2 months ago•4 min saved

Cannabis and tobacco co-use linked to higher psychosis risk in at-risk individuals

In people at clinical high risk for psychosis, co-use of cannabis and tobacco over a two-year period nearly triples the risk of developing a psychotic disorder, signaling a potential synergistic effect and underscoring the need for replication and to test whether cessation reduces risk.

via Vanderbilt Health News|

#cannabis #co-use #health

health3 months ago•3 min saved

UK launches landmark policy to forge a smoke-free generation

Britain approved a landmark anti-tobacco bill that permanently bans tobacco sales to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, effectively raising the age limit each year to create a smoke-free generation; it also bans vaping in cars with children and in outdoor areas near schools, with studies suggesting the policy could deliver tens of thousands of extra healthy life years by 2075 and reduce youth smoking below 5% by the late 2040s.

via Euronews.com|

#health #public-health #smoke-free-generation

health3 months ago•2 min saved

UK to ban tobacco for anyone born after 2008, aiming for a smoke-free generation

Britain’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill, backed by Parliament, would bar tobacco sales for anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, in an effort to create a smoke-free generation. The measure also expands powers to regulate tobacco, vaping and nicotine products, including flavour and packaging rules and banning nicotine branding from being marketed to children, while extending smoke-free zones and prohibitions on vaping in places like playgrounds, cars with kids, and near schools and hospitals; royal assent is expected soon.

via Al Jazeera|

#health #legislation #public-health

health3 months ago•13 min saved

The Roadblock to a Tobacco-Free Generation: Why Generational Bans Struggle to Take Hold

The Conversation argues that while a tobacco-free generation—phasing out cigarette sales for people born after a cutoff—could dramatically reduce preventable deaths, it faces legal, political, and cultural hurdles. Objections include underestimation of smoking risks, tobacco industry tactics, and concerns about personal autonomy. Trials exist (Brookline, Maldives, Massachusetts proposals) with mixed outcomes, including repeals in some places and new bills elsewhere, underscoring that bans are not a silver bullet. Experts emphasize that success depends on combining bans with high prices, plain packaging, advertising and flavored-product restrictions, cessation support, and clear public health messaging to reduce initiation and sustain progress.

via The Conversation|

#freedom-of-choice #health #policy

health4 months ago•2 min saved

U.S. Smoking Rate Dips Below 10% for First Time

A national NHIS-based study finds smoking among U.S. adults fell to 9.9% in 2024 (about 25 million people), down from 10.8% in 2023—the first single-digit rate on record. If the pace continues, it could help meet the 2030 federal target of 6.1%, but cigar and e-cigarette use haven’t declined, with 18.8% of adults using some tobacco product in 2024 (roughly 47.7 million). The study in NEJM Evidence also calls for a centralized federal tobacco-prevention capacity to sustain progress.

via Gizmodo|

#cdc #health #nejm-evidence

health7 months ago•5 min saved

Even One Drink Daily Significantly Raises Mouth Cancer Risk

A large study in India found that even light alcohol consumption, especially locally brewed drinks combined with chewing tobacco, significantly increases the risk of mouth cancer, with no safe level of alcohol identified.

via SciTechDaily|

#alcohol-risk #health #india

health8 months ago•3 min saved

Tobacco and Cannabis Use Depletes Brain's 'Bliss Molecule'

A study using PET scans found that co-using cannabis and tobacco alters brain chemistry by increasing FAAH enzyme levels, which reduces the activity of the 'bliss molecule' anandamide, potentially explaining higher depression, anxiety, and addiction challenges in users of both substances. This research could guide new treatments for cannabis use disorder, especially among tobacco co-users.

via SciTechDaily|

#addiction #brain-chemistry #cannabis

health8 months ago•2 min saved

Tobacco and Cannabis Combo Linked to Brain Changes, Study Finds

A small preliminary study suggests that using tobacco with cannabis causes unique brain chemistry changes, particularly involving the enzyme FAAH, which may explain worse addiction and mental health outcomes in co-users compared to those who use only one substance. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and understand the mechanisms involved.

via ScienceAlert|

#addiction #brain-changes #cannabis