Ontario youths opened on Friday a 3-day campaign which seeks to advocate a smoke-free province. It is the third annual gathering of young Ontarians, with about 500 delegates expected to participate.

The summit aims to train future young tobacco control advocates in the areas of social policy, skill building and knowledge transfer. The summit comes just a few weeks after Ontario legislators filed Bill 69, the Smoke-Free Ontario Amendment Act 2008 which called for a prohibition on lighting up in cars where there are children below 16

A new survey conducted by researchers at the University of Missouri observes a rise in alcoholism among American youth.

At least one-third of the men and one-fourth of the women covered in the survey engaged in the practice of imbibing 21 alcoholic drinks on their 21st birthday

Teens who use marijuana to avoid depression have a 40 percent risk of developing mental disorders or suicidal thoughts, according to a White House report released Friday.

The report, released to coincide with May's Mental Health Awareness Month, shows a whooping two million teens felt depressed at some point during the past year. Depressed teens are more than twice as likely as non-depressed teens to have used marijuana or other illicit drugs during that same period

The lack of physicians has taken its toll on an Ottawa medical facility. Orleans Urgent Care Clinic announced it would close on Sundays and holidays beginning June 1 due to the shortage of medics.

Marion Moritz, executive director of the clinic, told the Ottawa Sun, "It's a painful decision for us... All the doctors we are recruiting have left for greener pastures. We are bleeding doctors

Cigarette companies may have to design new packets to enter the rich oil exporting Arab countries.

According to a proposal which the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries are in the process of finalizing, all cigarette packets must have 50 per cent of the packaging indicating statutory health warning with a mandatory font set to 14 on the surface