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State lawmakers plan to introduce a bill that would weaken the voter-approved indoor smoking ban that's been in place for two years.

Queensland's Education Department is telling Sunshine Coast parents to send their children to the Beerwah State High school today, despite a measles outbreak.

Siphoning money from the tobacco settlement fund to cover state revenue shortages "is not money well spent," says a University of Hawaii sociologist. "Cutting (tobacco) prevention and...

Chanting anti-tobacco slogans and listening to slam poetry, a group of 150 students from around the state gathered at the state Capitol yesterday lobbying for higher taxes on tobacco products.

Medical marijuana is a hot topic these days. States such as Michigan have passed laws legalizing medical marijuana use. Yet, the Federal government stills views marijuana as an illegal drug. But is medical marijuana the best choice? Are there risks to medical marijuana?

Mississippi lawmakers say they're still making a serious effort to increase the state cigarette tax this year, even though it's been nearly a month since they did any substantial work to meet that goal.

Ken Jacobs made the switch to roll-your-own cigarettes a year ago to save money. With brand-name cigarettes going for $50 a carton, rolling his own cost only $8 to $10 for the same number of cigarettes.But starting April 1, the roll-your-own cost will skyrocket because of a new federal tax on cigarettes and tobacco products.'It's outrageous. It's insane,' said Jacobs, who lives in Portland and was smoking Friday on Congress Street. . . .Some smokers and smoke shop owners say the tax is unfair, while health organizations are hailing the legislation. The American Lung Association of New England says tobacco use will drop in Maine and other states because of the federal tax.Courtney King, association spokeswoman, said the adult smoking rate is 20.2 percent in Maine and the high school rate is 14 percent. King said the double whammy of the tax increase and the recession could help accelerate the quit rate.'But we don't have any hard facts,' she said.Maine Revenue Services pred

More than 73 percent of North Carolina adults support or strongly support an increase in the state's cigarette tax as a way to close a growing budget shortfall, according to an Elon University poll released ...

Gujarat government plans to bring a regulatory mechanism to keep medical practices under check as Hepatitis B has claimed 49 lives in the Sabarkantha district of the state.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., USA - In a legal victory that preserves the patient-physician relationship and promotes competition, an Arkansas state court ruled today that Baptist Health, Arkansas' largest hospital system, acted improperly by inappropriately restricting hospital admitting privileges and interfering with the continuity of patient care. The ruling in Baptist v.