Sleeping Pills More Harmful than Cigarettes

A recent study claims sleeping pills are as risky as cigarettes. NBC4 decided to look deeper into the issue and find out whether it's worse to take a pill or not sleep. The average adult should get at least seven hours of sleep a night. That's a lot tougher than it sounds, though. Dr. Michael Saribalas is a certified sleep specialist here in Columbus. He treats people for all kinds of sleep and psychiatric disorders. He said all sleeping pills, or hypnotics, come with a risk but this study should be taken with a grain of salt. He said the study was all about association, meaning the people taking sleeping pill might have had other underlying problems that led to death, not the pills themselves. Saribalas points out that a lot of important things happen during sleep so the benefit of taking a sleeping pill, for some, may outweigh the risk. Jennifer Mayle, a local hair stylist, is one of Saribalas' patients. She said she once suffered through 12 days of insomnia. She has been taking a sleep aid for many years and said she'd rather do that than walk around like a zombie. She said her life has improved drastically since finding help.

Smoking Ban Supported by Justices

Ohio's voter-initiated ban on indoor public smoking, the first enacted in the Midwest and among the strictest in the nation, is constitutional and enforceable, the Ohio Supreme Court unanimously ruled on Wednesday. The decision struck a blow against stubborn bars and their customers who smoked and then doused their cigarettes in plastic cups after ashtrays were removed. Opponents of the law argued that it amounted to an unconstitutional taking of their private property and unfairly targeted business owners while ignoring the smokers themselves. The high court called the Ohio Smoke-Free Workplace Act "a valid exercise of the state's police power" as it rejected a challenge from Zeno's Victorian Village, a Columbus tavern that has been cited 10 times and fined $33,000.

Stop Teens from Smoking, Ontario News

In its recent article, The Windsor Essex Community Health Centre provided some excellent information about keeping our teens smoke-free. But there was an important component missing - calling for a ban on youth possession of tobacco. Convenience stores play a vital role in keeping tobacco from teens. In fact, Ontario Convenience Stores Association (OCSA) members perform well over 100,000 age-checks every day. Our We Expect ID program technology allows stores to accurately verify the age of customers by reading data off the magnetic strip on driver's licences.

Smuggling Tobacco, Bulgaria News

Bulgaria's organized crime will see their old favorite - illegal cigarette sales - boom after smoking is banned in all enclosed public spaces as of June 1, an expert has warned. The smoking ban will come into force in Bulgaria as of June 1 2012 and will be applied also in cafes, bars and restaurants, regardless of size. "The ban on smoking in all enclosed public places will lead to an even greater increase in cigarette smuggling and will weaken the flow of revenues to the budget," argues Tihomir Bezlov, an expert from the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD). He pointed out that taxes from tobacco products account for 10% of budget revenues (compared with about 1.4% in many other EU countries), which makes the country's finances highly dependent on that market.

British American Tobacco, Cigarettes New Packs

British American Tobacco, maker of Lucky Strike cigarettes, is making a comeback in the Philippines. The company pulled out of the local market nearly 4 years ago after a failed taxation case at the Supreme Court, which it says would have leveled the playing field in the local tobacco industry. Now, British American Tobacco is back because it expects the Aquino government will institute the reforms it fought for in 2008. "With the change in administration, very strong signals from the Aquino government that excise tax reform is on top of the agenda, the company made a decision to suspend that withdrawal and come back in full force," said James Lafferty, general manager of British American Tobacco Phils. British American Tobacco was fighting a law that imposes higher taxes on cigarette brands that entered the market after 1996. That meant higher taxes for brands like Lucky Strike, which was introduced in 2001; and lower taxes for its competitors. Lafferty said the proposed increase in excise taxes on tobacco, which is pending in Congress, will make it easier for them to compete.