Hundreds of old cigar labels. Vintage lighters. Cigar bands from the "Golden Age" of cigar advertising (1890s - 1920s). Japanese Matchbox label & manufacturing. Depression Era Cigarette Packs. Cigarette Holders for the Ladies. The Victorian Gentleman's Smoking Cap (and jacket). The History of the Cigar Store Indians and Side Walk Figure Statues. Let’s not forget the ashtrays [more inside]
posted by growabrain on Dec 20, 2011 - 8 comments

Serum hemoglobin is related to endurance running performance. Smoking is known to enhance serum hemoglobin levels ... alcohol may further enhance this beneficial adaptation.

A recent paper by Kenneth Myers in the Canadian Medical Association Journal reviews the potential benefits of smoking for endurance atheletes. [more inside]
posted by nangar on Nov 26, 2011 - 35 comments

Belgian photographer Frieke Janssens snapped controversial (and artistic) portraits of children between the ages of four and nine smoking fake cigarettes. The photo shoot in action was recorded and her portfolio can be seen here. (Previously) [more inside]
posted by gman on Nov 23, 2011 - 27 comments

Australia, already a leader in tobacco sales restrictions, is seeking plain packaging for all cigarette packaging, forcing a fight with Big Tobacco. Other governments around the world watch interestedly, as arguments revolve around intellectual property rights and spill-over effects. An astro-turf group has been formed to protest "on behalf of retailers". Meanwhile, the Federal Opposition maintains it's links to the tobacco industry. (previously)
posted by wilful on Feb 20, 2011 - 66 comments

Are US tobacco companies conspiring to make tobacco more addictive through additives or aren't they? Ever since the first reports published in 1999, this has been debated off and on for years as the tobacco lobby defended itself against allegations of racketeering and outright lies. Recently they lost the case. But the question of American cigarettes being more addictive than others still remains unsettled.
posted by infini on Jun 11, 2009 - 16 comments

"For the first time on record, the rate of new cancer cases and the cancer death rate are both falling in America. There appear to be several reasons why this is happening, but perhaps the most important is also the simplest: Over the past several decades, men started smoking less." But is obesity the tobacco of the 21st century? Well, Hollywood has tobacco's back. How to lower smoking rates? Taxing cigarettes is the single-most effective way to lower smoking rates, particularly among youth. Check out the correlation on this map.
posted by cashman on Dec 1, 2008 - 33 comments

If you've quit smoking and you're trying to get through the early withdrawal symptoms without gaining 20 pounds, one coping strategy is to get busy crafting. Sure, you say, you've made naughty figurines out of your cigarette packages in bored moments before, but now if you're going to craft you want to make something that celebrates your fantastic self-discipline and can serve as a worthy memorial to your renounced habit. If that's how you feel, check out these links. [more inside]
posted by orange swan on Nov 23, 2008 - 8 comments

Smoke if you got 'em. Today is the Great American Smokeout, a time to reflect on how great people look when smoking, and the terrible things (NSFW) the additives do to you.
posted by plexi on Nov 20, 2008 - 82 comments

Ce n'est pas une cigarette France is the latest to ban smoking in public, joining Spain, Italy, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, the Ukraine, and the U.S. among others. This short article from The Atlantic shows the long history of countries attempting to ban smoking, from Pope Urban VIII to Hitler. Somehow I think these bans are here to stay.
posted by papoon on Feb 3, 2007 - 49 comments

Cigarettes packs by brand.
posted by hama7 on Dec 3, 2006 - 23 comments

Jewsfilter: Rabbinic Council of America bans smoking for all Orthodox Jews "Jewish law is fully able to incorporate new realities, recognize new and reliable scientific findings, and embrace the need to change heretofore acceptable behavior." Read the full technical legal opinion here. [pdf] Now if only the Orthodox Union would stand up for the LBGT community in same the way that it has for Darfur, stem cell research, heck, even global warming...
posted by ericbop on Jul 7, 2006 - 44 comments

With all the public smoking bans coming in effect over the past few years, the anti-tobacco movement seems en route to achieve its favored objective: prohibition. Michael Siegel keeps a careful eye on them at The Rest of the Story.
posted by daksya on Jun 2, 2006 - 238 comments

The Australian cigarette health warnings have pretty much filtered down to every retail packet that's bought now. They're pretty gruesome and some smoking acquaintances cover them up with stickers. I thought I'd have a look around and see what other countries warnings were like. None of them were pulling any punches except for Uruguay.
posted by tellurian on May 17, 2006 - 118 comments

Igor Sergeev has been collecting full, unopened cigarette packs from all over the world since 1976. His site now features over 21,000 photos, arranged in alphabetical order by brand name. Some are fascinating simply for the way they differ from what we're used to seeing at the 7-11; others are straight-up nine kinds of awesome.
posted by Gator on Mar 20, 2006 - 38 comments

Smokers Brokers is brilliantly simple: take the cash you'd waste on cigarettes and invest it instead. Perhaps this could help coax economists into quitting smoking, for everyone else, it might be better to have some savings and your health than burning up a few more expensive coffin nails. [this site from mefi projects also won the contest for banished]
posted by mathowie on Dec 14, 2005 - 27 comments

Recent research claims that even smoking a few cigarettes a day is dangerous according to Tobacco Control . This is bad news for millions of smokers who have cut-back their daily consumption of cigarettes. It is also contrary to previous research which claimed that light smoking had little impact on health.
posted by bobbyelliott on Sep 22, 2005 - 56 comments

What's China Smoking?
posted by daksya on Jun 15, 2005 - 36 comments

Physicians and scientists around the world even go as far as to state that smoking leads to premature death. Don’t we all know someone who smokes constantly, even heavily, yet is still living — or has lived — to the mature age of eighty, ninety, and older? Furthermore, the MDs and PhDs state that smoking causes cancer and emphysema. If this diagnosis were definitive, wouldn’t these afflictions affect all smokers equally, rather than the small percentage that it actually does affect?
posted by Eekacat on Mar 23, 2005 - 78 comments

Four employees fired for refusing smoking test. This month, Weyco Inc., a Michigan based company in the health care industry, has gone forward with its plan to fire any employees that smokes cigarettes, even if it's done in their own homes. This is being done primarily to save money on health care. Weyco defends its position.
posted by bobo123 on Jan 25, 2005 - 147 comments

More kids smoking marijuana than tobacco. A report by the CDC reports that more kids now report having smoked pot in the last thirty days than those that reported having smoked a cigarette, and in fact, tobacco usage is showing a steep decline while marijuana usage is showing a steady uptick. This item is just one of many interesting statistics contained within the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance report, taken between February-December, 2003. The war on some drugs wages on... (via my friend C-Dawg)
posted by WolfDaddy on Jun 23, 2004 - 69 comments

The Death of the Irish Pub? "The smoking ban is the work of one man, Michael Martin, the Minister for Health and Children, and one of nature's killjoys... He is generally thought to regard the banning of nicotine from Irish pubs as a personal crusade, explaining that he once tried smoking but didn't enjoy it."

The ban was scheduled to start today, but has been delayed until March. It's one thing to have smoking banned in California and New York, but what's the point of pub that's not dark and smoky? And Scotland might be next...
posted by grabbingsand on Jan 1, 2004 - 122 comments

Why Do Gays Smoke So Much? Yet another escape from the cruel shackles of responsibility. Why do Gays smoke? 1. They have no children. 2. Social Opprobrium. 3. People are mean. This isn't journalism. It's crap. High risk behaviors tend to promote other high risk behaviors, like the tattoos-sex-cigaretts connection. It could be something even more sinister, like the values of particular subcultures. How can we get people to take more responsibility for self destructive behavior? Cigarettes, fat, alcohol, unsafe sex... if we are ever forced into National Health Care, there will be no reason to deny ourselves anything. Have another cigarette on me.
posted by ewkpates on Aug 5, 2003 - 61 comments

A brand new tobacco company was officially incorporated in Virginia on March 19, 2003. Discover what makes this company different, read a message from their CEO, learn from their modern corporate philosophy, and check out all the media buzz.
posted by fold_and_mutilate on Apr 18, 2003 - 47 comments

Cigarette filters don't want to go away. A sigh of releaf from the smokers except our lovid earth. Not as harmless as the Everlasting Gobstopper, eh.
The word biodegradable doesn't warrant interest from the companies making cigarettes. The gov should be able to protect us...maybe they sponsor the grassroot with all the money made.
posted by lightweight on Feb 18, 2003 - 15 comments

Hard time gets harder. New York City has banned smoking in all workplaces, and apparently that includes jails. Do you have the right to smoke in jail? A prison full of convicts all having nicotine withdrawl at the same time can't be a good thing.
posted by quibx on Feb 6, 2003 - 25 comments

Vector Tobacco. A company that "develops and markets smoking products with science-based reductions in certain harmful elements."
posted by chemgirl on Jan 21, 2003 - 35 comments

Another smoking gun. Tobacco companies fought the marketing of anti-smoking products in the 1980s and '90s, by exerting financial pressure on companies that make nicotine gum and patches--like Dow Chemical. (NYT, reg req'd - CBS News version here)
posted by gottabefunky on Aug 14, 2002 - 3 comments

No butts about it... Bloomberg plans to ban smoking in small bars and restaurants in NYC. Why not? The pope took it even further. And after all, it won't hurt business owners. Perhaps a better plan would be to limit food portions instead. How do NYC smokers feel about this? I know Carrie Bradshaw will not be too thrilled.
posted by bmxGirl on Aug 9, 2002 - 125 comments

Drug War Roundup III A 70% increase in the price of cigarettes seems to have dropped the teenage smoking rate by 7%. On May 15 you heard the Drug War Czar say anti-drug ads were a flop. He announced a new campaign the next day. San Franciscan test subjects in a medical marijuana study say they're given "low-potency ditch weed." Subjects in a similiar study in Canada say the weed they're given is way too good. Lastly, Canada is debating whether to decriminalize smoking pot on the heels of a committee conclusion that it doesn't lead to hard drug use, committing more crimes or driving fast.
posted by raaka on May 19, 2002 - 16 comments

"aaaah, lovely fags !!" From the smoke filled dreams of Father Ted - "aaaah, lovely fags !!" The age of innocence.
posted by Arqa on May 14, 2002 - 14 comments

Smoking - A quitters diary. Recommended reading for those wanting to quit, those who have quit and those lucky people who never started and could do with understanding the 'ordeal' of giving up.
posted by Frasermoo on May 3, 2002 - 76 comments

A judge has ordered a smoker to stop lighting up at home or in her car if she wants continued visitation rights with her 13-year-old son who has complained about her pack-a-day habit. "Where the child's health is involved," the judge said, "the court would intervene, even if it meant overriding the parents' religious beliefs." Is this in the best interest of the child or an intrusive ruling?
posted by phooey on Mar 26, 2002 - 104 comments

UCSF's Legacy Tobacco Documents Library -- a library of formerly secret tobacco industry internal documents -- goes live this week. It's a searchable archive of fifty years of "scientific research, manufacturing, marketing, advertising and sales of cigarettes" including a lot of inadvertently humorous material.
posted by jessamyn on Feb 4, 2002 - 3 comments

Nicote-free cigarette from genetically modified tobacco Apparently a company has developed it and they're running taste-tests too, in stores soon. Looks fine for wannabe smoke quitters. You found another way to get rid of cigs ?
posted by elpapacito on Nov 9, 2001 - 41 comments

Smoking creates "indirect positive effects." A report from tobacco giant Philip Morris concluded that the Czech government saved money because of the "indirect positive effects" of the early deaths of cigarette-smokers. PM makes about 80 percent of the cigarettes smoked in the Czech Republic. Said a Philip Morris spokesman: "Tobacco is a controversial industry, but we are still an industry and sometimes we need some economic data on our industry."
posted by tranquileye on Jul 17, 2001 - 39 comments

Smoker awarded $3 billion in lawsuit. Call me crazy, but, even from an anti-tobacco standpoint, doesn't this strike anyone as a bit excessive?
posted by ed on Jun 6, 2001 - 91 comments

is this the beginning of the end for tobacco companies? an award for damages caused by passive smoking has sparked huge debate here in oz.
posted by cakefork on May 3, 2001 - 15 comments

Important stuff to keep track of on the net, number 18873 in series: the Female Celebrity Smoking List. Ever wondered what movies [insert actress here] smoked in? Did she smoke in real life? What brand? Can you verfiy that "Barry McKenzie Holds His Own"* is a non-cigarette smoking movie? Ever find yourself musing about whether "banana-to-penis is an easier analogy than cigarette-to-penis"? Then you're in luck.
*Which is, not to fork my own thread, a movie starring two guys** named Barry.
**One in drag
posted by rodii on Apr 7, 2001 - 2 comments

File under: "Duh!" "We agree that smoking is addictive and causes disease in smokers," said David Davies, vice president of corporate affairs of Philip Morris Europe.
posted by fraying on Oct 12, 2000 - 21 comments

No wonder my mom got hooked. My mother turns 70 years old on the 26th of this month. She's smoked since college. It's the only thing that I really bug her about; try to stop. She quit about five years ago for almost a year, then started again. I know she's lonely, living alone, but then when I see ads like the link above, I get a better understanding of the cultural acceptance of smoking that was prevalent when she was in college. I watch her immediately reach for her smokes when she gets out of the car after a ride; is that her body chemistry screaming out for more nicotine? I just know there's a special place in hell for the cigarette executives; a special room where they're forced to watch videos of their own children lighting up for the first time.
posted by marktucker on Jun 1, 2000 - 5 comments