Smoking special #2, covering articles from 4-10/6/12

A report has exposed the underhand tactics employed by the tobacco industry:
Directly lobbying politicians and civil servants is a key tactic of theirs.
Indirect lobbying, done through tobacco farmers, suppliers, and distributors, as well as trade organisations, is another.
The three main fallacies they employ are:
- not in the EU's jurisdiction; breach of free trade agreements
- threat to jobs; exaggerating job losses; ignoring health benefits
- they exploit EC lack of expertise to bypass the science, and gain direct access to officials
"While the industry’s tactics have not changed in the last 12 years, support for tobacco control has definitely increased"
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-smokescreen-tobacco-industry-tactics.html
TobaccoTactics.org has been set up monitor the unscrupulous behaviour of tobacco industry advocates, propagandists, and front groups
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-website-tobacco-industry.html
TobaccoTactics.org
http://tobaccotactics.org/index.php?title=Main_Page

The Canadian province of Quebec is suing Imperial Tobacco Canada for a prospected $60 billion, to retrospectively cover the health deficit that the industry has caused
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-quebec-sues-tobacco-industry-can60.html

A study has found that State attempts to curtail the damage done by tobacco smoking are successful
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-higher-taxes-smoke-free-policies-moms-to-be.html

Smoking has been found to inhibit medications from helping against rheumatoid arthritis
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-negatively-affects-response-anti-tnf-treatment.html

Cannabis is not harmless if you smoke it, regardless of the THC content
I'm not so sure about twenty times; but the general rule is this: *inhaling* burning plant is *not* good for you!
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2012/06june/Pages/cannabis-lung-health-risks-underestimated.aspx