News by Subject Social & Behavior

University of Guelph researchers have published what is believed to be the first scientific paper in North America on improving medicinal cannabis plant production, helping move the industry into the realm of high-tech laboratories and evidence-based practices. This paper is the first of a series of studies University of Guelph researchers have conducted investigating ideal horticultural practices for indoor cannabis production in response to industry demand.

Researchers analyzed Google search trends to identify consumer demand for a brand-new tobacco product known as heat-not-burn tobacco and found that its popularity is growing quickly.

People with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) can experience chronic and debilitating pain, which greatly affects their quality of life. A study published in open-access journal Frontiers in Neurology finds strong links between lifestyle and pain symptoms. It suggests that efforts to exercise regularly, stop smoking, eat healthily and maintain a healthy weight may help those with MS to manage their pain.

An intensive text messaging program provides some pregnant women help in fighting the urge to light up a smoke

Up to 6.6 million cigarette smokers will live substantially longer if cigarette smoking is replaced by vaping over a ten-year period, calculates a research team led by investigators from Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. In all, cigarette smokers who switch to e-cigarettes could live 86.7 million more years with policies that encourage cigarette smokers to switch completely to e-cigarettes.

A new study published in JNCI Cancer Spectrum finds that smoking negatively impacts long-term survival after breast cancer. Quitting smoking after diagnosis may reduce the risk of dying from breast cancer.

Even after years of smoking, the body has a remarkable ability to repair itself. Now in a study appearing in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research, scientists report that certain metabolic changes occur soon after quitting, and these changes could help explain how some ill-effects of smoking might be reversible.

Raising tobacco taxes to increase cigarette prices could reduce cigarette consumption and smoking-associated deaths (SADs) in all 28 EU countries, according to a study published in the open-access journal BMC Public Health. In higher income countries, raising tobacco taxes could increase revenues that could be spend on prevention and control programs, while in lower income countries tax revenues may be negatively affected, researchers at Overseas Chinese University, Taiwan, suggest.