Smoking and Pain

Cancer patients who smoke may experience greater pain than nonsmokers.
The CNN (12/22) "The Chart" blog reported that "researchers say there is evidence to suggest that cancer patients who keep smoking experience greater pain than nonsmokers." The study, published in the journal Pain, "also found an 'inverse relationship' between pain and the number of years since quitting."
Report: California has second lowest smoking rate in US. The New York Times (12/26, A22, Lovett) said, "Californians are smoking less than most other Americans. According to a study released last week by the California Department of Public Health, just 13.1 percent of California residents reported smoking last year, compared with 20.6 percent nationally." Notably, "California now has the second-lowest smoking rate in the country, trailing only Utah. The declining rate here reflects a culture that is especially conscious of health and the environment, and it was hailed by state officials as evidence of the success of a strategy to demonize smoking."