“Smoking” on The Daily Caller

On February 4, 2009, three years ago yesterday, President Obama first broke his central campaign promise: a “firm pledge” that no American making less than $250,000 per year would see “any form of tax increase.” The promise was made repeatedly on the campaign trail by both Obama and running mate Joe Biden, who assured voters in a vice-presidential debate: “No one making less than $250,000 under Barack Obama’s plan will see one single penny of their tax raised, whether it’s their capital gains tax, their income tax, investment tax, any tax.” (more)

A group of seven anti-smoking activists asked South Korea’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday to completely ban the sale of tobacco in that country, claiming that a constitutional “right to health” should render invalid any law permitting tobacco-related commerce. (more)

Most people are familiar with the adage, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” but more relevant in today’s world, and certainly more accurate, is the reality that, “Hell hath no fury like a nanny-stater scorned.” (more)

The FDA’s new graphic warning labels for tobacco products showing diseased lungs, rotten teeth and dead bodies may violate the First Amendment, a federal judge has ruled. (more)

On Tuesday, three of my friends emailed me about a Herman Cain ad that was on the Internet. In the ad, Mark Block, the Cain campaign chief of staff, makes his pitch for supporting the campaign and then takes a puff of a cigarette. The ad ends with Cain slowly smiling. Someone commented on YouTube that it was at once the worst political ad he had ever seen and the greatest political ad he had ever seen. (more)

Businessman Herman Cain posted a head-scratching YouTube video in which his chief of staff, Mark Block, takes a drag on a cigarette after asking voters to “get involved” in the campaign. (more)

Scientists publishing new research through the National Bureau of Economic Research have concluded that quitting smoking is the biggest quantifiable cause of obesity. (more)

In 2003, Springfield, Missouri banned smoking in restaurants. But the mayor of Springfield, Jim O’Neal, wasn’t satisfied, and in the spring of 2010 he pushed the city council to ban smoking elsewhere. Some members of the city council thought the ban that he proposed went too far — i.e., banning smoking from the American Legion halls, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) halls, and tobacco shops. So, O’Neal decided that rather than presenting the proposal to the city council, he’d present it directly to the people. The proposal appeared on the ballot in April of this year as Question 2: (more)

A government agency that wants to do the right thing. A “black market” that is relentless and thumbs its nose at law enforcement. And willing buyers of contraband goods. Such is the situation in Canada today, and could be the situation in the United States in the near future. (more)

Last year, not long after the Food and Drug Administration got legislative authority to regulate tobacco, “flavored” cigarettes were banned — on behalf of the children. (more)

A potential ban on menthol cigarettes has sparked a debate within the African American community over whether a government ban should be welcomed for health reasons or considered a condescending demonstration of paternalism. (more)

Though some government programs rely on funding from high cigarette taxes, the health risks associated with the habit have lead to government bans and initiatives designed to get people to quit or never start. Some have wondered, however, where the government would make up the lost cigarette tax revenue if anti-smoking advocates succeeded in creating a world without smokers? (more)

Millions of women in developing countries risk disease and early death in the coming decades as their rising economic and political status leads them to smoke more, researchers said on Tuesday. (more)

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and others in the anti-tobacco movement are working to turn America into a land without smokers. But what would an America without smokers look like? (more)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department wants the largest cigarette manufacturers to admit that they lied to the public about the dangers of smoking, forcing the industry to set up and pay for an advertising campaign of self-criticism for past behavior. (more)

Whip out your Marlboros folks, oral sex — not tobacco — could now be the leading cause of throat cancer among people under 50! (more)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A large majority of smokers who try to kick the habit are back puffing away within six months, so President Barack Obama is ahead of the game. (more)

Many studies have linked marijuana use with early onset of psychosis. The question is, does smoking marijuana cause earlier psychosis? A new review of 83 studies involving more than 22,000 participants seeks an answer. (more)

Tobacco’s damaging impact on smokers’ lungs and hearts is well established, but ongoing research into its impact on the brain is yielding startling results. New evidence comes from New York City, where the City Council just voted to outlaw smoking in public parks and beaches. (more)

The New York City Council is preparing to ban smoking in all parks, beaches, boardwalks, and even Times Square, reports The Wall Street Journal. (more)