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Mar 19

A little game of charades to start off the day
1 Comment

Singapore: Day 2 | Singapour: Jour 2

Hello again world! Bonjour de nouveau!

What an exciting day this has been! Absolutely incredible the amount of knowledge I’ve packed into my brain today.  I registered this morning, and went straight into the Youth Pre-Conference where I met people from around the world.  Just in my group there were people from the USA, Chile, Ecuador, Kenya, Argentina and Albania!  We heard all about the tobacco control movements happenings around the world, and I was able to share some of the successes we’ve been having here in Canada.  Since I don’t want to write a book, I’m just going to list off a few things that I thought were interesting:

Ah quelle journée que j’ai eu aujourd’hui! J’ai tellement appris, et j’ai pu rencontrer plusieurs gens de partout dans le monde pendant la Pré-conférence pour Jeunes.  Dans mon groupe seulement il y avait des gens des États-Unis, du Chili, de la République d’Équateur, du Kenya, de l’Argentine et de l’Albanie!  Nous avons appris des différents stratégies de tabac qui se font utiliser partout dans le monde, et j’ai même eu la chance de partager le progrès que nous avons eu au Canada.  Puisque je ne veux pas vous écrire tout un livre, je vais simplement vous donner un aperçu de ce que j’ai trouvé intéressant:

  • There’s a group in Singapore running a number of campaigns under the slogan “I don’t, I won’t”.  They’ve been very innovative in their ideas, including hosting a flash mob competition.  Their Facebook page can be found here.
    Il y a une groupe à Singapour qui font plusieurs activités avec le slogan anglophone “I don’t, I won’t”.  Vous pouvez trouver leur page sur Facebook ici.
  • Did you know that in India it is considered the norm to see children as young as 2 or 3 to pick up the consumption of tobacco?!  In more positive news, India has recently seen the ban of Shisha/water-pipe in the city of Mumbai.
    Le saviez-vous?  En Inde c’est considéré normal qu’un enfant de 2 ou 3 ans commence à consumer des produits de tabac!! D’un ton plus positif, l’on vient juste de passer une loi qui interdit le fumage de Shisha dans la ville de Mumbai!
  • Australia recently passed legislation to have all tobacco packaging completely blank starting in December, 2012.  Tobacco companies, clearly unhappy about this change, are fighting back with many different campaign efforts, much like those applied by groups who rally against the industry.
    En Australie ils ont passé une loi qui changera les paquets dans lesquels les produits de tabac sont vendu.  Commençant au mois de décembre 2012, les boites seront maintenant complètement blanche, avec aucune marques.  Les compagnies sont clairement mécontant et employent des stratégies de défences similaire à ceux qu’utilisent les groupes contre l’industrie.
  • Brazil has recently become the first country to completely ban the sale of all flavoured tobacco, including the infamous menthol flavour.
    Brésil a été le premier pays à complètement interdire la vente de tous produits de tabac contenant des saveurs, incluant le fameux saveur du menthol.
  • Here a couple of very interesting links/Voici des liens intéressants:

Singapore has been amazing, and is an incredibly beautiful city. Check out some of the photos I’ve snapped yesterday and today!
Singapour est très joli, et il fait tellement beau ici!  Voici quelques photos que j’ai pris hier et aujourd’hui!

Goodnight/Bonne nuit!

Katrina ♥

Mar 18

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Singapore: Day 1 | Singapour: Jour 1

Hello world!

Ready for some exciting news?  I’ve been sent to Singapore to attend the 15th World Conference on Tobacco or Health!!!!! I just arrived today, after 30+ hours of travelling, but I’m feeling fantastic.  At this point, I’m thoroughly exhausted, but I managed to get some sight-seeing in today.  I will be writing daily blog posts updating you all on the conference and what I’ve learned (concentrating on stuff that is useful to you, of course), and I’ll be throwing in pictures along the way.

Êtes-vous prêtes pour les nouvelles??  J’ai été envoyée à Singapour pour le 15e Conférence Internationale sur le Tabac et la Santé!!!! Je suis arrivée aujourd’hui après au délà de 30 heures de voyage.  Je me sentais fantastique pendant la journée, étant même explorer la ville, mais maintenant je suis épuisée.  À tous les jours je vais vous écrire pour vous donner des nouvelles de la conférence et ce que j’apprend.  Je vais aussi ajouter des photos à tous les jours.

So let’s start it off! On the trip over I found a couple interesting things at the Hong Kong Airport.  Check it out:

On commence!  Pendant mon voyage ici j’ai remarquer des différences dans l’aéroport de Hong Kong:

I also found this in Singapore:

J’ai aussi trouvé ça  à Singapour:

Let this serve as a reminder to my Canadian counterparts that change is possible. We’ve been making a lot over the years, but occasionally we lose sight of it!  It certainly was weird seeing all these things that have been gone from our realities for a while now.

J’espère pouvoir inspirer mes collègues en leur faisant rappel des changements qu’on a pu accomplir à travers des années.  Ça fait certainement étrange voir toutes ces choses qui ne font plus parti de nos réalités.

Finally, I’d like to welcome any new readers joining us on the adventure.  I’ll be doing a lot of advertising this week, so let’s hope that means our international traffic will go up!  I’ll be posting many more photos in the days to come, but my eyelids are closing on me.

Finalement, j’aimerais souhaiter la bienvenue à tous ceux qui viennent tout juste de nous joindre à l’aventure.  Je vais promouvoir le blog souvent cette semaine, donc espérons que nous rejoindrons des gens de partout dans le monde!  Je vais attacher plusieurs autres photos dans les jours à venir, mais je cognes des clous à ce moment!

Goodnight/Bonne Nuit!

Katrina

Mar 16

Smoking and your Brain

As someone who is currently suffering a severe brain injury as a result of trauma I have a new found interest in the brain and things that affect it. I found an amazing site on the affects of nicotine on the brain which I fully intend to quote heavily!  Check it out here.
“The brain is connected to the heart and the lungs through arteries. These arteries supply oxygen and other chemicals to the brain. So, when a person smokes a cigarette, the chemicals inhaled are sent to the brain. The chemicals, particularly nicotine, reach the brain ten seconds after the smoke is inhaled and remains active for 20-40 minutes. After reaching [the brain], nicotine affects, changes and controls the specialized receptor cells (responsible for regulating the well-being, mood and memory) in the brain. This, in turn, changes the chemistry of the brain, which finally affects the smoker’s mood.”

In another article, they say that:

“Smoking reduces your IQ – Several researches have been conducted using a sample space of adults and teenagers, to determine that smoking cigarettes does reduce the IQ level on an individual. If you are a smoker, you would have realized that your capacity to work with analytical problems reduces after smoking. This reduction in mental capacity is attributed to the reduced oxygen supply to the brain and increased presence of carbon mono-oxide in the hemoglobin.

Smoking induces lack of concentration – The reduced oxygen supply to the brain also causes fatigue to creep in. It’s a common myth to believe that smoking enhances your ability to focus – the truth is quite the opposite. A smoker is bound to feel restless and fidgety due to impure or low oxygenated blood passing through the brain.

Cigarettes reduce your sex drive – It has been proven that smokers have a lower sex drive than normal men. One reason of course is the fatigue that sets into the body due to nervous stimulation caused by nicotine, the second reason is that the areas of brain responsible for sexual stimulation have lower receptors due to nicotine addiction. The brain automatically reduces its normal feel good receptors to guard against the excess of nicotine in the blood stream.

Smoking inhibits the natural “feel good” receptors in your brain – It’s proven by research that smokers are more liable to depressive moods because of the reduction of “feel good” receptors in their brain. The artificial stimulation of the areas of brain that control feelings of pleasure and reward causes the long term effect of reducing the receptors in this region. The symptoms of withdrawal creep in more quickly after each smoke due to the increased resistance developed in the brain.

Chronic smoking can increase your chances of a brain stroke – The presence of nicotine in the blood makes it thicker. Moreover the plague deposits on the arteries increase because of excessive smoking. This causes the arteries to lose their elasticity. The brain depends upon the arteries connecting to the heart for its supply of oxygenated blood. When these arteries lose their elasticity or get blocked due to excess plague deposit, it results in a stroke. The chances of a stroke increase by several multiples in a chronic smoker.

Excessive Smoking is linked to brain shrinkage – It has been found that in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis the chances of brain shrinkage and lesions increases while smoking. Brain injury is caused by the breakdown of barrier between the brain and blood vessels. Studies have also revealed that smokers tend to develop problems with motor functioning with time, actions like walking or talking might get impacted through excessive smoking. Many smokers have experienced fidgety hands and stuttering speech after having smoked a few cigarettes in a short span of time.

As you can see, the effects that smoking has on your brain are quite severe. Teenagers who take to smoking are at a higher risk because their brain is still in the development stage. Most adults who smoke don’t realize the harm cigarettes do to their brain, especially when they don’t indulge in mentally tasking activities, but the damage is being done steadily.”

As someone who is suffering due to decreased brain functionality and is patiently waiting to heal, perhaps we can think about the residual affects of smoking and do whatever we can to protect our most important organ, because trust me you’ll miss it once its gone even if its only temporarily.

Morgan

Mar 16

Lawsuit Against CANADIAN Tobacco Companies! BC ON BOARD!

BC has joined in with five other provinces in suing Canadian tobacco firms for healthcare costs!

The provinces are seeking recovery for the billions of dollars worth of healthcare costs associated with smoking illnesses.  The provincial governments are hoping that by working with other provinces and coordinating legal resources it will bring their cases to trial faster. Every province in Canada as well as Nunavut has adopted legislation that seeks recovery of medicare costs against the tobacco industry, which is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars!

An astronomical amount of money is required for damage control of people’s health caused by tobacco use.  The tobacco companies need to be held accountable for their actions and the affects of their highly effective advertising on the population. Earlier this year, Ontario filed a lawsuit against Canadian tobacco companies seeking $50 billion in damages.  Additional lawsuits from the past few decades can be found in the article attached in the link below if you are interested!

The Canadian Cancer society states that tobacco products are responsible for about 30% of cancer deaths and for 85% of lung cancers! Lung cancer alone kills more than 20,000 Canadians a year – about 55 deaths per day.  This is a huge cost in both lives and the amount of money needed to treat these cancers that could have otherwise been prevented.

This lawsuit from the BC government alleges that tobacco manufacturers have failed to warn consumers of the dangers of smoking and has targeted children in their advertising and marketing.

Targeted advertising on children ensures the creation of a new generation of smokers. Their addiction will finance and therefore benefit the tobacco companies by producing new teen aged consumers. Of course this creates further problems for the healthcare system perpetuating a never-ending cycle.

The lawsuit states that tobacco companies should be held liable for the tobacco-related illnesses that cost British Columbia an estimated $500 million a year in health costs! This money could be otherwise dedicated to so many worthwhile agencies.

As stated in the article from Castanet (link found below): Tobacco companies have responded previously to the lawsuit saying that the government is in danger of spending millions of dollars on lawsuits, but will not receive any money if the government wins.  Canadian tobacco companies cannot afford to pay huge legal settlements, said the tobacco industry. The Canadian companies can’t endure settlements anywhere near the magnitude of their US counterparts who have been ordered to pay hundreds of millions of dollars.

The BC lawsuit names Imperial Tobacco Canada, Rothmans, Benson and Hedges, JTI-Macdonald, the Canadian Tobacco Manufacturers’ Council and several foreign tobacco companies.

Let’s hope the provincial governments win the lawsuit and get something back from these companies who are burdening our provinces with oppressive healthcare costs.

I will keep you posted on the proceedings and what the outcome is!

http://www.castanet.net/news/BC/72204/BC-joins-smokin-hot-lawsuit

Image from: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2011/07/29/f-smoking-laws-timeline.html

Also: Interested in lawsuits related to tobacco? This article goes through the timeline of events throughout the years in Canada.

Charlotte Broadbent

Mar 13

Blog Post 2012

The Biggest Lawsuit to Make it to Trial in Canada – What’s your Take?

Big news from Montreal!  After 13 years, almost 2 million Quebecers are claiming $27-billion in damages suffered after starting smoking.

“The suit alleges, among other things, that the tobacco companies: made and sold a product they knew was dangerous; stirred up a scientific controversy about the effects of tobacco products while playing up the alleged benefits associated with their use; built a common front against revealing the risks and hazards related to the consumption of tobacco products; and specifically targeted youth to buy tobacco products.”

Do you think that tobacco users should be able to sue tobacco companies for damages?

Read the original National Post article here:

http://www.nationalpost.com/Huge+class+action+trial+against+tobacco+giants+starts+Monday/6276856/story.html

Read a controversial opinion piece on the article here:

http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/Smokers+have+only+themselves+blame/6291806/story.html

Cheers,

Katie M

Mar 12

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Tobacco Use on Health Care Premises

 

I found this interesting (and the poster to be funny!) because I always think of hospitals as smoke free already, but that’s obviously not always the case. Really happy things are headed that way! Do you know what the policies on tobacco use on health care premises in your areas are?

http://www.stha.ca/services/custom_page.php?id=112&idCpage=159

Feb 29

smoke free campus

Smoke Free Campus

Acadia University in Wolfville, NS has a smoke free campus policy that I would love to see implemented at ALL schools across Canada. There is no smoking tolerated within the campus (campus police enforced with a fine) but there are many areas just on the perimeter of the campus that are designated smoking areas. These areas are away from many of the buildings and have cigarette receptacles that are emptied on a regular basis. Now, I am not a smoker myself, but I do know many people who do smoke and I’m sure that they would not be very happy with this idea, but I think that it would be a great step in the right direction towards eliminating some of the second hand smoke that most non smokers are subjected to on a regular basis.  Walking through campus can be great, but it can also leave students at UPEI smelling like and breathing in second hand smoke. Second hand smoke has been proven on many occasions to be very dangerous to those who are exposed, and why should those of us who choose not to smoke be exposed to it without a choice?  This is an age-old question that keeps coming up more and more as the research delves deeper into the health risks associated with exposure to second hand smoke.

As a student, the library is like my second home, and both entrances are often full of smokers who leave their garbage (cigarette packages, coffee cups, etc…) and cigarette butts all over the ground for someone else to step over and often pickup when there is too much build up. Not to mention, I also have to walk through a cloud of smoke to even reach the door.  The library isn’t the only place where smokers tend to congregate around UPEI, as there are also many areas around campus that smokers “hang out” at that are common pathways for students trying to get to class.

Now, if you were to walk around campus, you many notice signs around the doors of some buildings that say “No Smoking within 30 feet of the door”, but often times these signs are ripped down or just completely ignored by students and staff alike.

I would really like to bring this issue up with my student council and administrators at UPEI, but I fear the reaction and outcry that many students and staff will have.

Ideally, Acadia University should be a model for all schools in Canada. They are protecting those of us who chose not to smoke but also allowing those who do smoke the opportunity to feel as though they are still a part of the school and are really no different from those who don’t smoke. They have also made this an opportunity to beautify their campus as it reduces the amount of cigarette related garbage that is found on the ground.

So, my questions for you are: 1) Is your school(public or university) or workplace smoke free? If so, how is it enforced, and 2) If it isn’t smoke free, is this something that you would like to see happen?

- FYI: click on the blog title to answer and let us know your thoughts!

Natalie

Tweet me: @nathennessey

Picture from here: http://www.allstatesign.com/smoke-free-campus.html

Feb 28

Does this site help people of all ages?

Feb 27

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1 Comment

Take A Minute To Listen – A Note From A New Member

Hi,

My name is Curtis Angugatsiaq Taqqaugaq. I am twenty years old, and I live in Igloolik, Nunavut.
I want to start by talking about myself. While I was in high school, I mainly concentrated on my school work. It was easier for me to talk to teachers than my friends for me. They helped me towards the right path and amazing opportunities. Unlike most of my friends, who showed me all the wrong things we could do.
The people I looked up to were my teachers, who near the end of high school really helped me to take advantage and go after almost all the opportunities offered to me. Thanks to them, I met people across Nunavut, Canada, and the world.
I strive to be a good role model mainly to Inuit. I tell people “Look at what happened to me BECAUSE I stayed in school and did my work as much as I could, or more than I ever thought I could. The same thing or something similar can happen to you if you really try.”

But not all of me is good… Like many people, I fell through the tiniest crack that’s proven to be really hard to climb out of.  I am a smoker, and have been for almost two years.  There is a part of me that says I’m a hypocrite.  It’s one of the worst choices I’ve ever made. If I could go back just so that I could tell myself not to start smoking, I would most definitely take that chance. I know the bad stuff that comes from cigarettes, yet I still smoke, which proves not all smokers are bad people, they just haven’t made the right choices.

I can say that I take pride in almost everything that I do.  It would be amazing to see what people did because of my help. But I’m not proud of everything that I do.  If you look up to me, please learn from my experience, rather than copy me.  Do what you can in school, and remember no matter how hard it seems: it will get easier for you. But please don’t start smoking. Like me, you’ll regret the day that you put the cigarette to your mouth and take the first drag.
I’m not looking for recognition for all or any part of anyones life. Just hoping I can help people learn from me. Life may seem tough sometimes, but it IS possible. This is the first of many stories I have to tell. Please let me know where you are at in your lives, and who’s inspired you to make healthy choices! Any feedback, positive or negative, is greatly appreciated.
Thanks for taking the time to read this!

Curtis

Feb 22

Changes in Winnipeg! Changements à Winnipeg!

Source article: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/smoking-ban-comes-to-light-139567923.html?device=mobile#

For many municipalities, provinces and even countries, tobacco policies have been put in place to try and denormalize the deadly and addictive habit of smoking.  But enforcement has been another issue.  It is often the case when a policy has been put in place, but fails, as no one seems to enforce the rules!

Well in Winnipeg this is starting to change! The city will be beginning to strictly enforce smoking bans on hospital grounds.

Does your community enforce smoking policy?

__________________________________________________

Pour plusieurs municipalités, provinces et pays, les politiques entourant le tabac ont été misent en place pour dénormaliser l’habitude addictive et mourante du fumage de cigarettes.  Mais l’enforcement de ces politiques est un tout autre problème.  C’est souvant le case que les politiques sont en place, mais qu’ils ne sont pas enforcés!

Bonne nouvelle pour Winnipeg, car nous allons voir des changements dans l’enforcement les politiques sur le tabagisme!  La ville va maintenant strictement enforcer ces lois, particulièrement sur le terrain de l’hôpital.

Est-ce que votre communauté enforce ses politiques par rapport au tabac?

Aaron Yanofsky

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