Bong Hits for Boomers: Marijuana Smoking on Rise for Seniors - Crimesider - CBS News

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Some Baby Boomers aren't giving up smoking pot as they age. Others are coming back to it as they retire.

A survey by the federal government found the percentage of people 50 and older using marijuana went from 1.9 percent in 2002 to 2.9 percent in 2008.

The rise was most dramatic among 55- to 59-year-olds. Their reported marijuana use more than tripled from 1.6 percent in 2002 to 5.1 percent. Observers expect further increases as 78 million boomers born between 1945 and 1964 age.
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Smoking bans cut overall heart disease risk - American Medical News

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By Christine S. Moyer, amednews staff

Smoking bans reduce the risk of heart attacks and heart disease associated with even limited exposure to secondhand smoke, says a report from the Institute of Medicine.

The report focused on an analysis of data from 11 different epidemiological studies, which examined changes in heart-attack rates after smoking bans were implemented in U.S. communities, as well as in Canada, Italy and Scotland. Two studies specifically assessed the association between secondhand smoke exposure and heart attacks.
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The Odds It Will Kill You? See New Charts

By NICHOLAS BAKALAR Published: September 2, 2008, New York Times New risk charts provide a broader perspective on the risks associated with 10 different causes of death. Charts

Smoking Appears Linked with Risk for Poor Memory in Middle Age

Smoking is linked to an increased risk for memory deficit and cognitive decline in middle age in an analysis based on data from Whitehall II, a large, prospective cohort study. The findings by Séverine Sabia, MSc, at the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, in Villejuif, France, and colleagues, are published in the June 9 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. Compared with study participants who had never smoked, after adjustment for other confounding factors, smokers had a 37% increased risk of having scores in the lowest quintile on a memory test (they were more likely to recall less than 5 of 20 words), Ms. Sabia told Medscape Psychiatry. The full article is available on Medscape.