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Don't know if this is really a "yay" moment, but it is what it is.

As in, American cigarettes are more deadly than non-American cigarettes. TUESDAY, June 1 (HealthDay News) -- American cigarettes could pack a more toxic punch than foreign brands, say researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In one of the first studies of its kind, researchers compared the levels of tobacco-specific nitrosamines -- a main carcinogenic component of tobacco -- in cigarette butts and in smokers from several countries. The result: "All cigarettes are not the same, and cigarettes across countries do not deliver the same amount of carcinogens to people," said Dr. Jim Pirkle, deputy director for science at the CDC's National Center for Environmental Health's Division of Laboratory Sciences. In fact, the amount of tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) in U.S. brands is about triple that of brands from Australia, Canada or the United Kingdom, he said. Some much for that "...

Interesting . Researchers from the NCHS, who published their findings on Wednesday, found that adult Americans who were clinically depressed were more likely to be smokers than those who were not, regardless of gender or age. The study, entitled "Depression and Smoking in the U.S. Household Population Aged 20 and Over, 2005-2008," also found that a higher percentage of severely depressed adults were smokers than mildly depressed adults, demonstrating that as the severity of the condition increases, so too did the propensity to smoke. Furthermore, people over the age of 20 who were depressed were more likely to be heavy smokers and less likely to quit than those who had not been diagnosed with the disorder, the study says. Back in the day when I was around more smokers (most of them have either quit or died by now) the prevailing reason for smoking was to "calm my nerves." I wouldn't classify depressed people as jittery types. Suicidal people? Maybe. But...

Wow; talk about a triple play: first the death penalty , then assault rifles , and now a ban on smoking : O'Malley's announcement came a day after the Baltimore City Council passed a bill imposing a smoking ban in public places in the state's largest city. Montgomery, Prince George's, Howard and Talbot counties have prohibitions, and once Baltimore's ban takes effect Jan. 1, nearly half of Maryland residents will live in jurisdictions that restrict lighting up. If all three pieces pass, Maryland will definitely be on a progressive path.