HEADLINES

• Scotland: Pubs' claim over tobacco ban 'smoke without fire'
• Thousands of pounds worth of cigarettes and tobacco is stolen in Teignbridge
• Cigarettes worth £11,000 stolen in Chatteris
• New York mayor bans smoking in Central Park, Times Square and Coney Island boardwalk
• USA: New study finds positive return on investment for states that invest in quit smoking treatments

• Scotland: Pubs' claim over tobacco ban 'smoke without fire'

  There is no evidence that the smoking ban in Scotland has led to the closure of pubs, a city-based organisation has said.

  ASH Scotland refuted claims from the Save Our Pubs and Clubs campaign, which argued that the 2005 change had sounded a death knell for bars across the Lothians and the rest of the country.

  Source: The Scotsman - 17 September 2010
  Link: http://bit.ly/b5JR80

• Thousands of pounds worth of cigarettes and tobacco is stolen in Teignbridge

  Police in Teignbridge are appealing for information after thousands of pounds worth of cigarettes and tobacco was stolen from two convenience stores.

  Source: Palm FM - 17 September 2010
  Link: http://bit.ly/aGNE2E

• Cigarettes worth £11,000 stolen in Chatteris

  CCTV images have been released of thieves who stole £11,000 worth of cigarettes from a Cambridgeshire store.

  Source: BBC News - 16 September 2010
  Link: http://bbc.in/aBVTG9

• New York mayor bans smoking in Central Park, Times Square and Coney Island boardwalk

  Visitors to the Big Apple will soon be breathing in cleaner air after Mayor Bloomberg extended the city's smoking ban to some of New York's most popular outdoor spaces.

  Car free areas of Times Square, parks, beaches and boardwalks will now all be ash free, officials announced yesterday. 

  Source: Daily Mail - 16 September 2010
  Link: http://bit.ly/bmVZ7W

• USA: New study finds positive return on investment for states that invest in quit smoking treatments

  A new study released by the American Lung Association, and conducted by researchers at Penn State University, finds that helping smokers quit not only saves lives but also offers favorable economic benefits to states.

  The study, titled Smoking Cessation: the Economic Benefits, provides a nationwide cost-benefit analysis that compares the costs to society of smoking with the economic benefits of states providing cessation (quit-smoking) coverage.  

  Source: Physorg - 14 September 2010
  Link: http://bit.ly/bEgtAc