NEWS |
Recent news stories show that the vast majority of Tennessee citizens want smokefree air in restaurants and other public places. This right is being won in communities across the nation, including Lexington and Louisville in the neighboring tobacco state of Kentucky. Legislators in Georgia and Florida have passed statewide bans on smoking in restaurants, showing more concern for their constituents than for the big tobacco industry which profits from their suffering (not to mention government-subsidized health care for the diseases caused by exposure to tobacco smoke).
News stories listed on this page focus primarily on Tennessee and surrounding states. In Tennessee, our legislators are letting us down by perpetuating a state law which actually prevents us from protecting our families from toxic tobacco smoke. Under TCA Section 39-17-1551, it is illegal for a city, town, or county in Tennessee to protect the rights of its citizens to breath smokefree air. That's as ludicrous as having a state law preventing the county health department from conducting hygiene inspections in restaurants.
If you are interested in following the news as it happens, please return to this page often because some news organizations remove stories from their web sites a week or two after they are published. Also note that articles about a location which are published in another state may be listed under one or both states.
UNITED STATES and GENERAL INTEREST
Related articles may also be listed under the
state in which they were published.
See Tobacco.org.
Colorado Becomes Latest Smoke-Free State
Kansas City infoZine, Kansas City, Missouri, 18 March 2006Calif. Town Bans Smoking Almost Everywhere
ABC News, 17 March 2006Anti-smoking group releases air quality tests
Community Press, Newport, Kentucky, 16 March 2006American Lung Association Says More States Taking Strong Action To Protect Citizens from Tobacco Use
WebWire, Georgia, 15 March 2006AskMarylin: The Cheeseburger Bill
Parade, 12 March 2006Q: The “cheeseburger bill,” which would prevent people from suing fast-food companies for weight-related ills, was passed by the House. And the House and the Senate each passed a bill that prevents victims of gun-related crimes from suing gun manufacturers. But no such legislation supports the tobacco industry. Regardless of your opinion on these issues, do you see this treatment as consistent?
—D.A. Petrasak, Irvine, Calif.A: Consistent with what? The subjects are neither related nor parallel: Food and guns can be used properly and without abuse. Tobacco cannot.
Cracker Barrel Settles Suit
All Headline News, 12 March 2006Black employees said they were called "spear-chucking porch monkey," "ghetto" and the n-word and forced to work in smoking sections while white employees were not.
Study: 7 in 10 favor eatery smoking ban
The Post and Courier, Charleston, South Carolina, 27 February 2006According to the collaborative, restaurant and bar workers have a 50 percent higher risk of developing lung cancer than the general population, and working a shift in a smoky bar is equivalent to smoking a pack of cigarettes.
Congress remains a room full of smoke
Daily Herald, Provo, Utah, 20 February 2006Confessions of an ex-smoker: I will never say, 'quit'
The News Leader, Staunton, Virginia, 19 February 2006States: Time to Stub Out Smoking
Newsweek, 18 February 2006Air is unlikely to clear in smoky halls of Congress
USA Today, 12 February 2006
Smoking in most indoor workplaces here will soon be illegal because of a vote by the District of Columbia City Council. But in a few ornate congressional alcoves, the term "smoke-filled room" still will apply.
The district's law would ban smoking in indoor workplaces and restaurant dining rooms on April 3 and in bars and nightclubs next January. First, like all district laws, it must go to Congress, which holds veto power over the city's affairs.
House Government Reform Committee spokesman Robert White expects the smoking ban to survive. "We haven't heard a puff of opposition," he said.
Even if Congress approves the smoking ban, its members don't have to abide by it. Congress sets its own rules and are not bound by local ordinances.
Fifteen states, New York, Chicago, dozens of other cities and countries such as Ireland and Sweden have approved smoking bans in workplaces, restaurants or bars, according to the American Non-smokers' Rights Foundation.
"It's time that the Congress does the same thing we're seeing all around the country," Waxman said.
House intern Annalise Leibold, 20, of Washington, agrees. The local law "ought to apply in a federal building," she said, sitting near the smoking area in the Rayburn building cafeteria. "It just makes me want to eat more quickly. It's not a very good atmosphere to be in."
Still, change wafts slowly in a place where columns are capped with decorative tobacco leaves and spittoons once lined the halls.
"It's a longtime tradition," Rep. Mike Sodrel, R-Ind., said as he puffed on a cigarette in the Speaker's Lobby. "I have smelled cigar smoke (during) late-evening sessions."
Others said they would be willing to follow district laws if the House adopted them.
"We abide by their traffic laws and their parking laws, or at least most of us do," said Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., stubbing out a butt. "We should give some consideration to it. I wouldn't mind. I'll live longer."
Cancer deaths fall for first time in over 70 years
The Daily Times, Maryville, Tennessee, 9 February 2006For the first time in more than 70 years, annual cancer deaths in the United States have fallen, a turning point in the war on cancer likely achieved by declines in smoking and better tumor detection and treatment.
The number of cancer deaths dropped to 556,902 in 2003, down from 557,271 the year before, according to a recently completed review of U.S. death certificates by the National Center for Health Statistics.
``Even though it's a small amount, it's an important milestone,'' said Dr. Michael Thun, who directs epidemiological research for the American Cancer Society.
It's the first annual decrease in total cancer deaths since 1930, according to a cancer society analysis of federal death data.Disneyland Resort plans to ban smoking in hotels
USA Today, 7 February 2006All 2,224 rooms at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., will be smoke-free on March 1, says Disney Vice President Rob Doughty. Last month, Westin became the first big chain to adopt such a policy, banning smoking throughout its 77 U.S., Canadian and Caribbean lodgings.
Disney is making the move because of "steadily declining requests" for smokers' rooms at the three Disneyland hotels at the resort, Doughty says. Only 35 rooms for smokers have been reserved through 2010.
The hotels have a high occupancy rate, and a smoking ban ensures that non-smokers are accommodated in a smoke-free room, Doughty says. Smoky rooms cost more to clean, but Disney didn't decide to go smoke-free to save money, he says.
Jacque Petterson, a non-smoking advocate who runs a website that lists smoke-free hotels, says the move to smoke-free rooms in Disneyland sets "a good example for the hotel industry."
At least 200 North American hotels now ban smoking in rooms and other indoor areas, according to a recent survey of major chains and an analysis of media reports by USA TODAY.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says children are most affected by secondhand smoke, because their bodies are still developing.
"Exposure to the poisons in secondhand smoke puts children in danger of severe respiratory diseases and can hinder the growth of their lungs," the CDC states on its website. "The effects can last a lifetime."Westin touches match to smoke-free trend
USA Today, 1 February 2006A move this month by Westin Hotels & Resorts to go smoke-free may open the door to similar policies by competitors.
"I think it will be the start of a trend," says Joe McInerney, president of trade group American Hotel & Lodging Association.
He says other chains are considering the move to smoke-free hotels. In some instances, he says, the growing tide of state and local anti-smoking regulations may force the move.
Westin said only 8% of customers were asking for smoking rooms. It went smoke-free to provide guests with a cleaner, more comfortable and healthier hotel stay.
Eliminating tobacco smoke may have benefits for Westin beyond fresher, healthier air to breathe.
The move may help the chain "carve out a niche" in the marketplace, reduce the cost of cleaning and maintaining smoking rooms, and lessen its liability for guests and employees who breathe second-hand smoke, Petterson says.
Guests who smoke in their rooms at a smoke-free Westin hotel will be assessed a $200 cleaning fee. It's about four times more expensive to clean a smoking room because of the frequent need to thoroughly clean drapes, carpet and bedding, says Vivian Deuschl, a vice president of The Ritz-Carlton, which has 60 hotels worldwide.More Smokers Successfully Quit On a Whim
Forbes, 27 January 2006California Identifies Secondhand Smoke as a Toxic Air Contaminant
Environment News Service, 27 January 2006Secondhand tobacco smoke causes an average 68 percent increase in breast cancer risk for women younger than 50, concludes a report by California Environmental Protection Agency staff that the state Air Resources Board voted Thursday to approve. Some women who have not reached menopause have as much as a 120 percent higher breast cancer risk than women who are not exposed to secondhand smoke.
Secondhand smoke is a complex mixture of compounds produced by burning of tobacco products. OEHHA says researchers have identified over 4,000 individual constituents in secondhand smoke, many of which are known or suspected human carcinogens and toxic agents.
"Californians, especially parents, would not willingly fill their homes with motor vehicle exhaust, and they should feel the same way about tobacco smoke."
Nonsmoking spouses of husbands and wives who smoke were found to be at greater risk of death from coronary heart disease, the OEHHA analysis found....
Secondhand smoke had already been linked to adult incidences of lung and nasal sinus cancer, heart disease, eye and nasal irritation, and asthma.Secondhand smoke a toxic in California
Science Daily, 27 January 2006The Air Resources Board in California has designated secondhand tobacco smoke as a toxic air contaminant -- making California the first state to do so.
Board members said the measure, which could lead to new city and state laws as well as educational campaigns directed at smoking parents, was based on studies linking other people's smoke to increased cases of breast cancer, heart disease, asthma and reproductive problems among nonsmokers, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday.
The designation, approved 6-0 by the Air Resources Board and recommended by the state's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, places secondhand smoke in the same category as arsenic and benzene.
California smokers emit 40 tons of nicotine, 365 tons of small particles of pollution and 1,900 tons of carbon monoxide each year, according to the American Lung Association.
State scientists will investigate and report on the state's smokiest locales -- such as outside buildings, parks, beaches and public events.
California prohibits smoking in workplaces, restaurants and bars, but some complain of having to walk through a cloud of smoke outside public buildings.Calif. classifies second-hand smoke a toxic risk
Reuters, 26 January 2006"To actually have the major air pollution agency in the state of California to list ETS (environmental tobacco smoke) as a toxic air contaminant is going to have immense impact, we think, in terms of public education around other states," he said. "It will clearly lead to regulatory changes within the state."
The panel's 2005 study found that about 16 percent of all Californians smoked, but 56 percent of adults and 64 percent of adolescents were exposed to second-hand smoke.
"Because the diseases are common and ETS exposure is frequent and widespread, the overall impact can be quite large," the study found.
California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment estimates that as many as 5,500 non-smoking Californians die annually of heart disease related to second- hand smoke and as many as 1,100 die from lung cancer caused by second-hand smoke.
Some health experts say the ultimate impact of California's decision to classify second-hand smoke as a toxin could reach beyond the United States.
"It is important because it has included important new findings, new scientific information that will not only help California policymakers but will help those across the United States address this issue," said Paul Knepprath of the American Lung Association of California.
"And, as I think some board members mentioned, this impact on the international community could be very helpful."
Calif. Says Secondhand Smoke a Pollutant
Forbes, 26 January 2006The decision by the California Air Resources Board puts environmental tobacco smoke in the same category as diesel exhaust, arsenic and benzene.
Forget smog, secondhand smoke a pollutant in California
CNN International, 26 January 2006"This is a seminal, international document," Glantz said. "It's impossible to underestimate what a big deal this is."
Secondhand smoke again an issue in Calif.
USA Today, 25 January 2006[California's] Environmental Protection Agency analyzed recent studies and determined that secondhand smoke causes an average 68% increase in breast cancer risk for women younger than 50. Some women who have not reached menopause have as much as a 120% higher risk, CalEPA's report found.
"This is the most careful analysis of the data up to the most current time frame that exists anywhere," says Cheryl Healton, president of the American Legacy Foundation, an anti-tobacco group in Washington. "It has gone substantially further than anything else I've seen and is carefully vetted through a group of very well-respected scientists."
A Surgeon General's report on secondhand smoke, which looks at the breast cancer link, is due later this year. The International Agency for Research on Cancer is also studying the issue.
CalEPA's report strengthens existing evidence, accepted in the scientific community, that secondhand smoke causes lung cancer, heart disease, adult asthma, premature birth and sudden infant death syndrome.
If regulators on California's powerful Air Resources Board accept the report today and list secondhand smoke as a "toxic air contaminant," a process would begin to determine whether tougher restrictions on exposure are warranted.
Since passage of a 1983 state law to reduce exposure to toxic air contaminants, the board has never rejected findings approved by the scientific panel that reviews CalEPA's work.
California already has the nation's toughest anti-tobacco laws, including bans on smoking in bars, restaurants and all but a few workplaces. About the only potential areas left are homes, vehicles and some outdoor settings.
Homes are considered off-limits because of privacy concerns, but the board, after studying the potential economic impact, could decide to ban smoking in vehicles carrying children. A 1999 law requires the board to pay special attention to children's heath risks.
The board also could restrict smoking outside building entrances, around ATMs, at amusement parks or outside airport terminals. CalEPA's report contains the first systematic measurements of outdoor exposure levels, says Katharine Hammond, an environmental health sciences professor at the University of California-Berkeley.
In 1997, a CalEPA report was the first to declare secondhand smoke a cause of heart disease, a finding that is now widely accepted. "When they first came out saying there were health effects of secondhand smoke years ago, they were treated with similar skepticism," Healton says.
CalEPA scientists based their conclusion on recent human studies that they determined had more careful assessments of long-term exposure to tobacco smoke. The report also gave more weight to toxicology evidence from animal studies than previous studies by the Surgeon General and others.
It's well-documented that chemicals from cigarettes cause breast cancer in lab animals.Blacks, whites affected differently by smoking
Reuters, 20 January 2006Lung cancer reality may help kin quit smoking
Reuters, 17 January 2006Nine States Have Banned Smoking in Public Places
Forbes, 10 January 2006Nine states have now banned smoking in all public spaces and workplaces, according to the association, which is challenging all states to become smoke-free by 2010. And more than 100 municipalities not in smoke-free states have adopted similar laws.
Smoke-free laws are no longer seen as anti-business and anti-employer. And Maine's governor, John Baldacci, whose family was in the restaurant business, is now a convert, Kirkwood said.
But there's plenty of work to be done, Kirkwood said. "The tobacco industry is a very powerful adversary and they are in every corner of the country and every state capital," he said.
Still, the lung association continues to note successes. Today, just under 21 percent of Americans smoke, compared with 46 percent in 1964, when the landmark U.S. Surgeon General's report came out.Most states don't fully fund anti-smoking programs
Reuters, 10 January 2006More Than a Resolution Needed to Quit Smoking
Voice of America, Washington, DC, 10 January 2006"Smoking is the worst thing in the world. Don't smoke. If you do smoke, quit," says veteran TV, stage and film actor Jack Klugman. Klugman lit up his first cigarette when he was a teenager, and continued to smoke for 40 years. He paid a high price: in 1974, he was diagnosed with invasive throat cancer. "It cost me my voice," he says. "When I had cancer and went to see my doctor, he said that smoking is the whole cause. That's the reason they removed my vocal cord and that's why I sound as bad as I do."
DC Council OKs Smoking Ban; Veto Threatened
JoinTogether, Boston, Massachusetts, 6 January 2006Throwing your weight around
USA Today, 2 January 2006
ALABAMA
See Tobacco.org.
Proposed state smoking ban goes up in smoke
Montgomery Advertiser, Montgomery, Alabama, 29 March 2006House committee delays bill to ban smoking in restaurants
Times Daily, Florence, Alabama, 29 March 2006Anti-smoking amendment takes a path that's unwise
The Times, Huntsville, Alabama, 19 March 2006More hotels, rail services around world ban smoking
The Birmingham News, Birmingham, Alabama, 19 March 2006Not another amendment
Mobile Register, Mobile, Alabama, 17 March 2006Alabama Debates Smoking Ban
WTVM-9, Columbus, Georgia, 15 March 2006Smoking ban likely out for bars
The University of Alabama Crimson White, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 15 March 2006Let state voters decide public smoking issue
The Decatur Daily News, Decatur, Alabama, 16 March 2006Amendment to ban smoking clears Senate
The Decatur Daily News, Decatur, Alabama, 15 March 2006"It's going to protect children and the elderly, who won't be exposed to second hand smoke against their wishes.
She said she feels it's only right to allow people to vote on whether they want a smoke-free environment when they go out to eat.Senate approved constitutional amendment to ban smoking
Times Daily, Gadsden, Alabama, 15 March 2006Pell City joins list of cities with smoking ordinances
The Decatur Daily News, Decatur, Alabama, 12 March 2006At least 26 cities in Alabama have passed smoking ordinances in the last three years. Pell City recently joined the list.
Pell City joins list of cities with smoking ordinances
Times Daily, Gadsden, Alabama, 12 March 2006Pell City Council OKs ordinance that bans smoking in most public places
Daily Home, Pell City, Alabama, 10 March 2006T-town to consider smoking ban
The University of Alabama Crimson White, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 2 March 2006Tuscaloosa Considers Enacting Smoking Ban
NBC-13, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 2 March 2006Brascho: Committee 'blindsided' by changes in smoking ordinance proposal
Daily Home, Pell City, Alabama, 25 February 2006Smoking ban hits Opelika establishments
The Auburn Plainsman, Auburn, Alabama, 22 February 2006Troy council considering a public smoking ban for city
The Messenger, Troy, Alabama, 20 February 2006Clearing the smoke: Restaurants account for 5% of tax revenue
Eufaula Tribune, Eufaula, Alabama, 8 February 2006Jaxon also said restaurant sales tax receipts also show that the city's smoking restrictions, which Bush and others said would hurt the restaurant industry, have not hurt business at all.
In fact, restaurant sales are up "tremendously" since the smoking restrictions were passed in 2003, Jaxon said.
Restaurant sales tax receipts increased from $348,771 in Fiscal Year 2003 to $426,913 in Fiscal Year 2004. Restaurant tax receipts continued to increase into Fiscal Year 2005.
Big H Chicken's owner and manager were also opposed to the smoking restrictions, claiming in 2003 it would cost them $75,000-$80,000 in revenue, according to a story from a Eufaula City Council meeting published in The Tribune in April of 2003.Alexandria [Louisiana] toughens public smoking restrictions
Tuscaloosa News, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 8 February 2006The city of Alexandria is banning smoking in public places where crowds gather, including in restaurants that do not serve alcohol.
The City Council unanimously approved the ordinance, which beefs up existing prohibitions, on Tuesday. The new law takes effect April 15 with penalties of as much as $500 and jail time.
Over the past year, smoking restrictions also have been passed in Lafayette, Mandeville, Shreveport, East Baton Rouge Parish and Terrebonne Parish.Valentine's Day first smoke-free day in the city
Jacksonville News, Jacksonville, Alabama, 8 February 2006According to the City Council, “the purposes of the ordinance are to protect the public health and welfare by prohibiting smoking in public places and places of employment, to guarantee the right of nonsmokers to breathe smoke-free air, and to recognize that the need to breathe smoke-free air shall have priority over the desire to smoke.”
Majority at public hearing favor strong non-smoking ordinance
Daily Home, Pell City, Alabama, 3 February 2006The majority of people at the hearing said they were in favor of a strong non-smoking ordinance for the city.
Supporters of the proposed ordinance say this isn’t a rights issue but a health issue, and cite the dangers of second-hand smoke.
"I want to enjoy dinner without risking a trip to the hospital afterwards," said Whitney Weldon, who said she suffers from asthma.
"This is a health issue to me. I’m concerned about those who don’t smoke and the children," said Brascho, who has worked with cancer patients for the past 40 years.
"I firmly believe an ordinance will be passed," Stocks said.Tobacco Price War in Spain Is Heating Up
Tuscaloosa News, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 1 February 2006California becomes first to declare secondhand smoke a pollutant
Times Daily, Gadsden, Alabama, 27 January 2006"This is a seminal, international document. It's impossible to underestimate what a big deal this is."
California becomes first to declare secondhand smoke a pollutant
Tuscaloosa News, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 26 January 2006The decision by the California Air Resources Board puts environmental tobacco smoke in the same category as diesel exhaust, arsenic and benzene.
Pell City taking comment on proposed smoking ordinance
The Decatur Daily News, Decatur, Alabama, 22 January 2006Pell City taking comment on proposed smoking ordinance
Ledger-Enquirer, Columbus, Georgia, 21 January 2006Pell City taking comment on proposed smoking ordinance
Tuscaloosa News, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 21 January 2006Pell City taking comment on proposed smoking ordinance
Alabama.com, Alabama, 21 January 2006Public speaks out on smoking ordinance
Daily Home, Pell City, Alabama, 19 January 2006Bob Watson agreed that smoking was a personal rights issue, but said it was smokers who infringe on his rights.
Watson, who talks with a raspy voice after surgery for cancer, said he smoked for most of his life.
"I smoked over three packs a day," Watson said. "I will defend anyone’s right to smoke. I will defend anyone’s right to carry a gun, but don’t shoot it in my direction and don’t blow your smoke in my direction.
"I’m scared to death of smoke," he said. "It almost killed me. I would love to go into some restaurants around the city, but I don’t want to risk redeveloping cancer to do it."NJ Casinos Get Pass on New Smoking Ban
Gadsden Times, Gadsden, Alabama, 15 January 2006NJ Casinos Get Pass on New Smoking Ban
Times Daily, Alabama, 15 January 2006NJ Casinos Get Pass on New Smoking Ban
Tuscaloosa News, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 15 January 2006Smoking ordinance topic at public hearing
Daily Home, Pell City, Alabama, 11 January 2006The top 10 stories of 2005 (A ban on smoking in Montgomery restaurants comes in at No. 7.)
TMCnet, Montgomery, Alabama, 3 January 2006
See Tobacco.org.
See Tobacco.org.
ARKANSAS
See Tobacco.org.
Smoking Issue Raises Licensing Questions
The Morning News, Springdale, Arkansas, 31 March 2006Are Arkansans Ready For A Statewide Smoking Ban?
KTHV-11, Little Rock, Arkansas, 28 March 200665% of Arkansans polled favor workplace smoking ban
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 30 March 2006Smoke signals
Northwest Arkansas Times, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 29 March 2006Poll suggests broad support for smoke-free workplace bill
Arkansas News Bureau, Little Rock, Arkansas, 29 March 2006Smoking on front-burner
The Leader, Jacksonville, Arkansas, 29 March 2006Poll suggests broad support for smoke-free workplace bill
Arkansas News Bureau, Little Rock, Arkansas, 28 March 2006Poll favors smoking ban
Arkansas Times, Little Rock, Arkansas, 28 March 2006Fayetteville : 79 teens at protest decry use of tobacco
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 14 March 2006Huckabee jogging from obscurity into the self-help heart of America
The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee, 9 March 2006Calling health care an economic issue, Huckabee has one more grand ambition before he leaves office: a statewide ban on smoking in workplaces, including restaurants and bars.
"People have a right to do things I think are stupid (but) I'm not restricting your right to smoke," he said. "I'm restricting your right to blow it on me."
Little Rock likes chain restaurants
Arkansas Times, Little Rock, Arkansas, 8 February 2006In the course of noting their extensive wine and cocktail list, we admired their bar area, which is arguably the most attractive part of the restaurant and rivals some of the nicer bars in the city. Busenbark says it is catching on and getting busier in its own right, and mentions that she decided to make the entire building non-smoking. That’s notable in a city where some bars and restaurants are gearing up to fight an expected proposal to ban smoking in public places.
“It was my decision,” Busenbark said, based on her experience managing P.F. Chang’s when Dallas imposed a smoking ban. “It is a difficult transition going from smoking to non,” she said. “There was a tremendous uproar from guests. I wanted to be ahead of the game on that.”
Business does not seem to be suffering as a result. Busenbark says the restaurant is meeting expectations, although she would not share financial performance figures, citing corporate policy.New smoke-free ordinance group formed
The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Arkansas, 7 February 2006Sack said such an ordinance will have no negative impact on business in Mountain Home. He pointed to a study done by the University of Arkansas a year after Fayetteville passed its smoke-free ordinance in 2004. Same store sales of Fayetteville restaurants, open for at least one year, increased by about 6 percent, the best growth rate since 2001.
Smoking ban heats up in LR
Arkansas Times, Little Rock, Arkansas, 2 February 2006Mayor Dailey Proposes Tobacco Ban
KATV-7, Little Rock, Arkansas, 30 January 2006Avoid the confusion...ban smoking in bars...
Smoke and mirrors
Northwest Arkansas Times, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 2 February 2006Judging The Bar On Smoking Ban Enforcement
The Morning News, Springdale, Arkansas, 3 February 2006Smoking Ban Definition Questioned
The Morning News, Springdale, Arkansas, 2 February 2006Interpreting Smoking Ordinance Leaves City In Haze
The Morning News, Springdale, Arkansas, 29 January 2006Waiting to inhale
Northwest Arkansas Times, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 26 January 2006Police unsure about restaurant’s attempt to allow smoking inside
Northwest Arkansas Times, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 26 January 2006Smoking-Ban Definitions Questioned
The Morning News, Springdale, Arkansas, 26 January 2006Put out the cigarette
Arkansas Times, Little Rock, Arkansas, 14 January 2006A welcome voice
Arkansas Times, Little Rock, Arkansas, 11 January 2006Governor says workplace smoking ban likely in special session
Arkansas News Bureau, Little Rock, Arkansas, 11 January 2006Mayor encourages cessation benefits
The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Arkansas, 3 January 2006
See Tobacco.org.
According to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, California law already prohibits smoking in public places and enclosed workplaces, including restaurants and bars.
Calif. Town Bans Smoking Almost Everywhere
ABC News, 17 March 2006Disneyland Resort plans to ban smoking in hotels
USA Today, 7 February 2006All 2,224 rooms at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., will be smoke-free on March 1, says Disney Vice President Rob Doughty. Last month, Westin became the first big chain to adopt such a policy, banning smoking throughout its 77 U.S., Canadian and Caribbean lodgings.
Disney is making the move because of "steadily declining requests" for smokers' rooms at the three Disneyland hotels at the resort, Doughty says. Only 35 rooms for smokers have been reserved through 2010.
The hotels have a high occupancy rate, and a smoking ban ensures that non-smokers are accommodated in a smoke-free room, Doughty says. Smoky rooms cost more to clean, but Disney didn't decide to go smoke-free to save money, he says.
Jacque Petterson, a non-smoking advocate who runs a website that lists smoke-free hotels, says the move to smoke-free rooms in Disneyland sets "a good example for the hotel industry."
At least 200 North American hotels now ban smoking in rooms and other indoor areas, according to a recent survey of major chains and an analysis of media reports by USA TODAY.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says children are most affected by secondhand smoke, because their bodies are still developing.
"Exposure to the poisons in secondhand smoke puts children in danger of severe respiratory diseases and can hinder the growth of their lungs," the CDC states on its website. "The effects can last a lifetime."California City Approves Outdoor Smoking Ban
Cybercast News Service, Virginia, 2 February 2006"Every court which has ever addressed the issue has held that there is no legal right to smoke, regardless of the location," said public interest law professor John Banzhaf, executive director of ASH. He cited such cases to the city council to convince them that an outdoor smoking ban was legal.
The city council agreed and voted to amend the proposed ordinance to establish a legal right of nonsmokers to be protected from secondhand smoke.
Banzhaf also noted that in at least 18 states, courts did not hesitate to ban smoking within a private car or residence where it was considered necessary to protect the health of kids, usually those involved in a divorce and custody dispute. At least four states have prohibited smoking in a private vehicle or home when foster kids are present, he said.
"If it is constitutional in all of these states for the government to prohibit smoking even within a private home, it is certainly constitutional for it to prohibit smoking outdoors on public sidewalks and streets, and on outdoor business property used at patios, lounges, parking lots, etc.," Banzhaf added.California Identifies Secondhand Smoke as a Toxic Air Contaminant
Environment News Service, 27 January 2006Secondhand tobacco smoke causes an average 68 percent increase in breast cancer risk for women younger than 50, concludes a report by California Environmental Protection Agency staff that the state Air Resources Board voted Thursday to approve. Some women who have not reached menopause have as much as a 120 percent higher breast cancer risk than women who are not exposed to secondhand smoke.
Secondhand smoke is a complex mixture of compounds produced by burning of tobacco products. OEHHA says researchers have identified over 4,000 individual constituents in secondhand smoke, many of which are known or suspected human carcinogens and toxic agents.
"Californians, especially parents, would not willingly fill their homes with motor vehicle exhaust, and they should feel the same way about tobacco smoke."
Nonsmoking spouses of husbands and wives who smoke were found to be at greater risk of death from coronary heart disease, the OEHHA analysis found....
Secondhand smoke had already been linked to adult incidences of lung and nasal sinus cancer, heart disease, eye and nasal irritation, and asthma.Secondhand smoke a toxic in California
Science Daily, 27 January 2006The Air Resources Board in California has designated secondhand tobacco smoke as a toxic air contaminant -- making California the first state to do so.
Board members said the measure, which could lead to new city and state laws as well as educational campaigns directed at smoking parents, was based on studies linking other people's smoke to increased cases of breast cancer, heart disease, asthma and reproductive problems among nonsmokers, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday.
The designation, approved 6-0 by the Air Resources Board and recommended by the state's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, places secondhand smoke in the same category as arsenic and benzene.
California smokers emit 40 tons of nicotine, 365 tons of small particles of pollution and 1,900 tons of carbon monoxide each year, according to the American Lung Association.
State scientists will investigate and report on the state's smokiest locales -- such as outside buildings, parks, beaches and public events.
California prohibits smoking in workplaces, restaurants and bars, but some complain of having to walk through a cloud of smoke outside public buildings.Calif. classifies second-hand smoke a toxic risk
Reuters, 26 January 2006"To actually have the major air pollution agency in the state of California to list ETS (environmental tobacco smoke) as a toxic air contaminant is going to have immense impact, we think, in terms of public education around other states," he said. "It will clearly lead to regulatory changes within the state."
The panel's 2005 study found that about 16 percent of all Californians smoked, but 56 percent of adults and 64 percent of adolescents were exposed to second-hand smoke.
"Because the diseases are common and ETS exposure is frequent and widespread, the overall impact can be quite large," the study found.
California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment estimates that as many as 5,500 non-smoking Californians die annually of heart disease related to second- hand smoke and as many as 1,100 die from lung cancer caused by second-hand smoke.
Some health experts say the ultimate impact of California's decision to classify second-hand smoke as a toxin could reach beyond the United States.
"It is important because it has included important new findings, new scientific information that will not only help California policymakers but will help those across the United States address this issue," said Paul Knepprath of the American Lung Association of California.
"And, as I think some board members mentioned, this impact on the international community could be very helpful."
Calif. says secondhand smoke a pollutant
Sun News, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, 26 January 2006The effect is likely to be greatest outside of California, which already bans smoking in or near most public buildings, including bars and restaurants.
Calif. says secondhand smoke a pollutant
Ledger-Enquirer, Columbus, Georgia, 26 January 2006"If people are serious about breast cancer, they have to deal with secondhand smoke. That's what this is all about," said Dr. Stanton Glantz, director of the Center for Tobacco Control, Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco. He reviewed the science behind Thursday's decision. "This is a seminal, international document. It's impossible to underestimate what a big deal this is."
California becomes first to declare secondhand smoke a pollutant
Times Daily, Gadsden, Alabama, 27 January 2006"This is a seminal, international document. It's impossible to underestimate what a big deal this is."
Calif. says secondhand smoke a pollutant
Herald-Leader, Lexington, Kentucky, 26 January 2006California became the first state to declare secondhand smoke a toxic air pollutant Thursday, citing its link to breast cancer. Experts said the decision may have more impact worldwide than it does in the largely smoke-free state.
The decision by the California Air Resources Board puts environmental tobacco smoke in the same category as diesel exhaust, arsenic and benzene.
The unanimous decision relied on a September report that found a sharply increased risk of breast cancer in young women exposed to secondhand smoke. It also links drifting smoke to premature births, asthma and heart disease, other cancers, and numerous health problems in children.
"If people are serious about breast cancer, they have to deal with secondhand smoke. That's what this is all about," said Dr. Stanton Glantz, director of the Center for Tobacco Control, Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco. He reviewed the science behind Thursday's decision. "This is a seminal, international document. It's impossible to underestimate what a big deal this is."
The report by scientists at California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment draws on more than 1,000 other studies of the effects of passive smoke. It blamed secondhand smoke for 4,000 deaths each year in California from lung cancer or heart disease alone.Calif. Says Secondhand Smoke A Pollutant
WRAL-5, Raleigh, North Carolina, 26 January 2006California became the first state to declare secondhand smoke a toxic air pollutant Thursday, putting tobacco fumes in the same category as diesel exhaust, arsenic and benzene because of its link to breast cancer.
The unanimous decision by the state Air Resources Board relied on a September report that found a sharply increased risk of breast cancer in young women exposed to secondhand smoke. It also links drifting smoke to premature births, asthma and heart disease, as well as other cancers and numerous health problems in children.
"If people are serious about breast cancer, they have to deal with secondhand smoke. That's what this is all about," said Dr. Stanton Glantz, director of the Center for Tobacco Control, Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco.
"This is a seminal, international document," Glantz said. "It's impossible to underestimate what a big deal this is."Calif. Says Secondhand Smoke a Pollutant
Forbes, 26 January 2006The decision by the California Air Resources Board puts environmental tobacco smoke in the same category as diesel exhaust, arsenic and benzene.
Forget smog, secondhand smoke a pollutant in California
CNN International, 26 January 2006"This is a seminal, international document," Glantz said. "It's impossible to underestimate what a big deal this is."
California becomes first to declare secondhand smoke a pollutant
Tuscaloosa News, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 26 January 2006The decision by the California Air Resources Board puts environmental tobacco smoke in the same category as diesel exhaust, arsenic and benzene.
Calif. says secondhand smoke a pollutant
Sun Herald, Biloxi, Mississippi, 26 January 2006California became the first state to declare secondhand smoke a toxic air pollutant Thursday, citing its link to breast cancer. Experts said the decision may have more impact worldwide than it does in the largely smoke-free state.
The decision by the California Air Resources Board puts environmental tobacco smoke in the same category as diesel exhaust, arsenic and benzene.
The unanimous decision relied on a September report that found a sharply increased risk of breast cancer in young women exposed to secondhand smoke. It also links drifting smoke to premature births, asthma and heart disease, other cancers, and numerous health problems in children.
"If people are serious about breast cancer, they have to deal with secondhand smoke. That's what this is all about," said Dr. Stanton Glantz, director of the Center for Tobacco Control, Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco. He reviewed the science behind Thursday's decision. "This is a seminal, international document. It's impossible to underestimate what a big deal this is."
The report by scientists at California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment draws on more than 1,000 other studies of the effects of passive smoke. It blamed secondhand smoke for 4,000 deaths each year in California from lung cancer or heart disease alone.
The most significant new finding is that young women exposed to secondhand smoke increase their risk of developing breast cancer between 68 percent and 120 percent. The disease kills about 40,000 women in the United States each year.
"This is no longer some crazy, California, Left Coast way of thinking," said Cynthia Hallett, executive director of Berkeley-based Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights. She cited smoking bans that have been enacted or are being considered across the nation and in other countries.
The effect is likely to be greatest outside of California, which already bans smoking in or near most public buildings, including bars and restaurants. Much of the initial effort in California will focus on public education emphasizing the scientific findings and Thursday's air board decision, said Paul Knepprath, vice president for government relations at the American Lung Association of California.Secondhand smoke again an issue in Calif.
USA Today, 25 January 2006[California's] Environmental Protection Agency analyzed recent studies and determined that secondhand smoke causes an average 68% increase in breast cancer risk for women younger than 50. Some women who have not reached menopause have as much as a 120% higher risk, CalEPA's report found.
"This is the most careful analysis of the data up to the most current time frame that exists anywhere," says Cheryl Healton, president of the American Legacy Foundation, an anti-tobacco group in Washington. "It has gone substantially further than anything else I've seen and is carefully vetted through a group of very well-respected scientists."
A Surgeon General's report on secondhand smoke, which looks at the breast cancer link, is due later this year. The International Agency for Research on Cancer is also studying the issue.
CalEPA's report strengthens existing evidence, accepted in the scientific community, that secondhand smoke causes lung cancer, heart disease, adult asthma, premature birth and sudden infant death syndrome.
If regulators on California's powerful Air Resources Board accept the report today and list secondhand smoke as a "toxic air contaminant," a process would begin to determine whether tougher restrictions on exposure are warranted.
Since passage of a 1983 state law to reduce exposure to toxic air contaminants, the board has never rejected findings approved by the scientific panel that reviews CalEPA's work.
California already has the nation's toughest anti-tobacco laws, including bans on smoking in bars, restaurants and all but a few workplaces. About the only potential areas left are homes, vehicles and some outdoor settings.
Homes are considered off-limits because of privacy concerns, but the board, after studying the potential economic impact, could decide to ban smoking in vehicles carrying children. A 1999 law requires the board to pay special attention to children's heath risks.
The board also could restrict smoking outside building entrances, around ATMs, at amusement parks or outside airport terminals. CalEPA's report contains the first systematic measurements of outdoor exposure levels, says Katharine Hammond, an environmental health sciences professor at the University of California-Berkeley.
In 1997, a CalEPA report was the first to declare secondhand smoke a cause of heart disease, a finding that is now widely accepted. "When they first came out saying there were health effects of secondhand smoke years ago, they were treated with similar skepticism," Healton says.
CalEPA scientists based their conclusion on recent human studies that they determined had more careful assessments of long-term exposure to tobacco smoke. The report also gave more weight to toxicology evidence from animal studies than previous studies by the Surgeon General and others.
It's well-documented that chemicals from cigarettes cause breast cancer in lab animals.
See Tobacco.org.
[Colorado] Governor signs no-smoking bill
Bizjournals.com, North Carolina, 27 March 2006Colorado Becomes Latest Smoke-Free State
Kansas City infoZine, Kansas City, Missouri, 18 March 2006
See Tobacco.org.
According to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, Connecticut law already prohibits smoking in specified public places, including restaurants and bars, as well as workplaces with five or more employees.
See Tobacco.org.
According to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, Delaware law already prohibits smoking in public places and all workplaces, including restaurants and bars.
See Tobacco.org.
According to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, Florida's state constitution prohibits smoking in public places and enclosed workplaces, including restaurants.
GEORGIA
See Tobacco.org.
According to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, Georgia law already prohibits smoking in public places and most workplaces, including restaurants and bars. Exceptions include private bars, establishments which deny access and employment to minors, and separately ventilated rooms in restaurants and bars.
Alabama Debates Smoking Ban
WTVM-9, Columbus, Georgia, 15 March 2006American Lung Association Says More States Taking Strong Action To Protect Citizens from Tobacco Use
WebWire, Georgia, 15 March 2006Impending smoking ban spurs many to quit: study
Macon Area Online, Macon, Georgia, 8 March 2006[South Carolina] Smoking ban to face test, lawmaker says
The Augusta Chronicle, Augusta, Georgia, 15 February 2006"It's time we stop ignoring the reality that cigarette smoke in an enclosed environment is toxic," he said. "At a certain point, we have to stop fooling ourselves. It's about cancer. It's about dying. It's about someone's right to clean air."
Lisa Turner, the director of state tobacco initiatives with the American Cancer Society, said restaurant and bar employees should not have to breathe smoke-filled air.Tobacco price war in Spain is heating up
Ledger-Enquirer, Columbus, Georgia, 1 February 2006More Smokers Successfully Quit On a Whim
Atlanta Journal Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, 27 January 2006Not only do about 50 percent of quitters decide to quit suddenly, but they are more successful at quitting, West added.
"Perhaps more surprisingly, we found that these spur-of-the-moment quit attempts more likely to be successful," he said. "This goes very much against received wisdom which says that people usually plan their quit attempts and that planning is important for success."Calif. says secondhand smoke a pollutant
Ledger-Enquirer, Columbus, Georgia, 26 January 2006"If people are serious about breast cancer, they have to deal with secondhand smoke. That's what this is all about," said Dr. Stanton Glantz, director of the Center for Tobacco Control, Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco. He reviewed the science behind Thursday's decision. "This is a seminal, international document. It's impossible to underestimate what a big deal this is."
Pell City taking comment on proposed smoking ordinance
Ledger-Enquirer, Columbus, Georgia, 21 January 2006Smoking ban online survey has mixed results
Gwinnett Daily Post, Gwinnett County, Georgia, 15 January 2006Tale of another college town [Athens, Georgia]
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Vicksburg, Mississippi, 15 January 2006"I really hear a lot of feedback from people enjoying being downtown" without having to brave smoke inside bars and restaurants, said Katie Calkin, a health educator with Athens Regional Medical Center.
Concerns about lost revenue from ban opponents appear to have been overblown. "Athens was not on the cutting edge of this issue," said Athens-Clarke County commissioner Eldon Dodson, pointing to long-standing smoking bans in New York, California and Europe. In those cities, tax revenues from bars have remained stable or increased after smoking bans, and Athens' experience has been the same, Dodson said.
"Not a single (bar) business has shut its doors," he said. "Four have opened. It has really made a huge difference" in Athens without hurting bar and restaurant owners.
Athens restaurant owners also say they haven't seen a significant difference in their sales since the no-smoking ordinance took effect in September.
The ordinance has created some unintended problems. Not allowing smoking inside created a wall of smokers that restaurant customers have to pass to find the front door.
As Dodson sees it, workplace safety is the major legal impetus for the Athens-Clarke ban. "There are very few things that OSHA bans that are as dangerous as smoking," said Dodson, an attorney. He cited European studies that showed four hours working in a smoky night club provided the same exposure to secondhand smoke as a month of living with a smoker. The health effects and costs of treating secondhand smoke exposure, Dodson said, are "just staggering."NEGMC smoking ban begins with no problems
Access North Georgia, Gainesville, Georgia, 2 January 2006Some say county ban is a drag
The Augusta Chronicle, Augusta, Georgia, 1 January 2006
See Tobacco.org.
See Tobacco.org.
According to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, Idaho law already prohibits smoking in restaurants and bars, as well as publicly owned workplaces.
See Tobacco.org.
See Tobacco.org.
See Tobacco.org.
See Tobacco.org.
KENTUCKY
See Tobacco.org.
Frankfort: Smoking Ban Proposed for City's Restaurants
Herald-Leader, Lexington, Kentucky, 30 March 2006Four Restaurants Lose Smoking Ban Exemption
WAVE-3, Louisville, Kentucky, 21 March 2006Anti-smoking group releases air quality tests
Community Press, Newport, Kentucky, 16 March 2006Teens push court for anti-smoking law
Appalachian News-Express, Pikeville, Kentucky, 8 March 2006Reaction muted to idea of smoking ban
The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, 3 March 2006Few speak out on proposed Oldham smoking ban
The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, 2 March 2006Most Kentuckians Support Smoking Ban
WTVQ-36, Lexington, Kentucky, 1 March 2006Oldham County considers smoking ban
WHAS-11, Louisville, Kentucky, 27 February 2006Teenagers rally to stop smoking
Appalachian News-Express, Pikeville, Kentucky, 25 February 2006Group pushing to ban smoking in Pike County courthouse
WKYT-27, Lexington, Kentucky, 24 February 2006Pike County students petition for smoke-free public places
Herald-Leader, Lexington, Kentucky, 24 February 2006Group pushing to ban smoking in Pike County courthouse
Herald-Leader, Lexington, Kentucky, 24 February 2006Smoking Targeted
The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, 23 February 2006Oldham groups push for smoking ban
WHAS-11, Louisville, Kentucky, 23 February 2006Oldham groups pushing for smoking ban in public buildings
Herald-Leader, Lexington, Kentucky, 23 February 2006Oldham groups pushing for smoking ban in public buildings
WKYT-27, Lexington, Kentucky, 23 February 2006Oldham County may follow in Louisville's footsteps with smoking ban
The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, 22 February 2006Oldham County considers smoking ban in restaurants
WKYT-27, Lexington, Kentucky, 22 February 2006Supporters of Ashland smoking ban release study
WKYT-27, Lexington, Kentucky, 22 February 2006Teen's air-quality study garners science award
The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, 13 February 2006When Louisville's smoking ordinance took effect in November, Rachel May, who has asthma and is allergic to cigarette smoke, wanted to find out exactly how much the air in public places would improve.
So she visited two restaurants twice each -- once before the ordinance was in effect and once afterward -- to measure pollutants in the air.
At both restaurants, she found a pollution reduction of more than 85 percent after the smoking ban.
"I really felt a difference when I was eating," she said. "… I really noticed the air improved."
Lee said Rachel's project accomplished its goal -- it demonstrated that the smoking ordinance reduced indoor air pollution.
She said she hopes her findings can be used to educate people with asthma and to encourage amendments to the ordinance to cover more public places.Shaping up
Business First, Louisville, Kentucky, 13 February 2006Let me tell you how much I love Louisville's smoking ban, and it's for purely selfish reasons. I love that the city is going smoke free in many restaurants because food and drink have proven to be my downfall time and again when it comes to kicking that nasty habit. The temptation to smoke is cut in half for me when I can't do it indoors. Bring on the ban, man! But I digress.
The changing dining scene
The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, 28 January 2006Other changes haven't been so positive. Most of the better restaurants (with the exception of interesting ethnic eateries) are still concentrated in the East End or downtown. In spite of a new Metro Louisville ordinance, smoking is still allowed in many restaurants, interfering with the enjoyment of food by nonsmokers and keeping diners with asthma and other respiratory conditions from patronizing those venues at all.
Eastern Kentucky City Will Be Smoke Free
WKYT-27, Lexington, Kentucky, 27 January 2006All city facilities in Prestonsburg will be smoke-free starting this spring.
The Floyd County Health Department conducted a survey on the issue and presented the results to the city council for a vote and the ordinance passed unanimously.
Tobacco smoke infiltrates the air in southeastern Kentucky more freely than anywhere in the United States.
The Centers for Disease Control says Kentucky leads the nation in the number of adults who smoke, but changes are coming in Floyd County. All Prestonsburg city buildings will be smoke-free for the first time ever!
The city council voted for the smoking ban unanimously after the Floyd County Health Department presented a survey they conducted.
The survey showed strong support of a ban in workplaces and restaurants....
More than 80 percent of the 29 people interviewed, agreed second hand smoke is a serious or moderate health hazard and that's where the city council hopes the ban will make the biggest impact.
The ban will go into effect April 15th, making Prestonsburg the first eastern Kentucky city to pass a smoking ban.
The health department will offer smoking cessation classes and free nicotine replacement patches at city hall to help people who want to quit smoking when the ban begins in April.Calif. says secondhand smoke a pollutant
Herald-Leader, Lexington, Kentucky, 26 January 2006California became the first state to declare secondhand smoke a toxic air pollutant Thursday, citing its link to breast cancer. Experts said the decision may have more impact worldwide than it does in the largely smoke-free state.
The decision by the California Air Resources Board puts environmental tobacco smoke in the same category as diesel exhaust, arsenic and benzene.
The unanimous decision relied on a September report that found a sharply increased risk of breast cancer in young women exposed to secondhand smoke. It also links drifting smoke to premature births, asthma and heart disease, other cancers, and numerous health problems in children.
"If people are serious about breast cancer, they have to deal with secondhand smoke. That's what this is all about," said Dr. Stanton Glantz, director of the Center for Tobacco Control, Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco. He reviewed the science behind Thursday's decision. "This is a seminal, international document. It's impossible to underestimate what a big deal this is."
The report by scientists at California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment draws on more than 1,000 other studies of the effects of passive smoke. It blamed secondhand smoke for 4,000 deaths each year in California from lung cancer or heart disease alone.Milford should be smoke-free for healthier lives
Community Press, Covington, Kentucky, 25 January 2006written by a sixth-grader...
The American Cancer Society has reported 5.5 million deaths nationally are premature as a result of people smoking cigarettes. The average lifespan of Americans living today is 77 years old; however cigarette smokers take off about 12 years of their life because of smoking cigarettes. It is sad for me to think about the many, many wonderful people who will die too early to see their very own grandchildren grow up, just because they choose to smoke cigarettes.
Another reason to create smoke-free public places in Milford is because cigarettes cost a lot of money. For example, in 2002 around $88.2 billion were spent on tobacco products, in which 94 percent of that money was for cigarettes alone. If smokers donated just a small percentage of what they spent on cigarettes a year to their local schools, our libraries would be filled with the most up-to-date books, the playgrounds would resemble something out of a fairy tale amusement park and computers would not be so hard to come by in our classrooms.
I feel Milford would be a more wonderful place if all public areas would be smoke-free. My family does not like to go to restaurants because so many places still provide a "smoking area," which is right next to the "non-smoking area" and our food sometimes tastes like ashes and we all stink like cigarette smoke when we leave.
Finally, smoking cigarettes harms the smokers' own body, as well as those around them by breathing in the second-hand smoke, smokers will have an earlier death than those who choose to not smoke, and cigarettes cost way too much. Public places in Milford need to be smoke-free, so we can all breath cleaner air and live longer, healthier lives.
Hannah Boles is a sixth-grade student at Seipelt Elementary School in the Milford Exempted Village School District.NJ casinos get pass on new smoking ban
Herald-Leader, Lexington, Kentucky, 15 January 2006"On a daily basis, we breathe secondhand smoke three or four feet from our nose," said casino dealer Al DeSimone, 43. "We can't move side to side, we can't move away, we're stuck there. It's unhealthy."
Students ask council for smoke-free city
Community Press, Covington, Kentucky, 11 January 2006Failure on smoking
The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, 11 January 2006Lung group flunks state on tobacco use again
The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, 11 January 2006Smoking has long been a part of Kentucky's culture. In addition to its legacy as a tobacco-growing state, it has the highest rates of adult smoking and teen tobacco use in the nation. It also has the nation's highest death rate from lung cancer.
Secondhand smoke dangers are proven (written by a middle school student)
Henderson Gleaner, Henderson, Kentucky, 6 January 2006Stop Smoking Laser
WTVQ-36, Lexington, Kentucky, 3 January 2006Smoking ban has smooth start in Owensboro
Herald-Leader, Lexington, Kentucky, 2 January 2006Kentucky cells becoming next smoking issue
Herald-Leader, Lexington, Kentucky, 1 January 2006
LOUISIANA
See Tobacco.org.
Alexandria toughens public smoking restrictions
Times Picayune, New Orleans, Louisiana, 8 February 2006"We support a more restrictive smoke-free ordinance that protects all employees," said Monette Fontenot, with the Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living. "We're glad for this first step."
Alexandria toughens public smoking restrictions
Tuscaloosa News, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 8 February 2006The city of Alexandria is banning smoking in public places where crowds gather, including in restaurants that do not serve alcohol.
The City Council unanimously approved the ordinance, which beefs up existing prohibitions, on Tuesday. The new law takes effect April 15 with penalties of as much as $500 and jail time.
Over the past year, smoking restrictions also have been passed in Lafayette, Mandeville, Shreveport, East Baton Rouge Parish and Terrebonne Parish.Alexandria Council passes smoking ban
KATC-3, Lafayette, Louisiana, 8 February 2006Alexandria toughens public smoking restrictions
KATC-3, Lafayette, Louisiana, 8 February 2006Alexandria Council passes smoking ban
KLFY-10, Lafayette, Louisiana, 8 February 2006Alexandria Smoking Ban
KLFY-10, Lafayette, Louisiana, 8 February 2006The Alexandria City Council unanimously approved a move to ban smoking in most public places, including parks and building, in theater lines, city vehicles, churches, sports arenas and restaurants that don't serve alcohol.
Alexandria City Council takes another look at smoking ban
KLFY-10, Lafayette, Louisiana, 7 February 2006Alexandria City Council takes another look at smoking ban
KATC-3, Lafayette, Louisiana, 7 February 2006NJ casinos get pass on new smoking ban
Times Picayune, New Orleans, Louisiana, 15 January 2006Put out the cigarette
Arkansas Times, Little Rock, Arkansas, 14 January 2006Terrebonne council approves anti-smoking ordinance
Times Picayune, New Orleans, Louisiana, 12 January 2006
See Tobacco.org.
According to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, Maine law already prohibits smoking in restaurants, bars, and public places.
Maine gets A for snuffing out smoking
Daily Tribune, Columbia, Missouri, 11 January 2006
See Tobacco.org.
According to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, Maryland law already prohibits smoking in public places and enclosed workplaces, including restaurants and bars.
See Tobacco.org.
According to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, Massachusetts law already prohibits smoking in specified public places, including workplaces, restaurants, and bars.
See Tobacco.org.
See Tobacco.org.
MISSISSIPPI
See Tobacco.org.
New law will ban smoking in most public buildings
Hattiesburg American, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 28 March 2006Partnership: Maintain anti-smoking efforts
The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, Mississippi, 24 April 2006Smoking ban gets Tupelo leaders' attention
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Vicksburg, Mississippi, 27 March 2006City official wants to examine Starkville smoking ban
The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, Mississippi, 27 March 2006Tupelo Official Wants To Examine Starkville Smoking Ban
WAPT-16, Jackson, Mississippi, 27 March 2006City official wants to examine Starkville smoking ban
Sun Herald, Biloxi, Mississippi, 27 March 2006Governor signs smoking ban for most public buildings
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Vicksburg, Mississippi, 26 March 2006Victory for health
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Vicksburg, Mississippi, 23 March 2006Starkville board OKs smoking ban
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Vicksburg, Mississippi, 22 March 2006Starkville Opposes Smoking
WLBT-3, Jackson, Mississippi, 22 March 2006Why Starkville deserves a smoke-free air ordinance
Starkville Daily News, Starkville, Mississippi, 19 March 2006Smoking Ordinance Draft Available for Review
Starkville Daily News, Starkville, Mississippi, 19 March 2006Starkville to hold public hearing on smoking ordinance
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Vicksburg, Mississippi, 18 March 2006Committee works toward Starkville smoking ban
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Vicksburg, Mississippi, 7 March 2006Clean Air Ordinance Revisited
WTOK-11, Meridian, Mississippi, 7 March 2006City begins work on smoking ordinance
The Reflector, Starkville, Mississippi, 22 February 2006Citizens debate smoking ordinance
The Reflector, Starkville, Mississippi, 25 January 2006"Smoking is someone's personal rights, but that right ends at the tip of my nose," Mixon said.
Jennifer Crutcher, a senior in aerospace engineering at MSU, said she supported the ban for health reasons and that business owners have no reason to worry about people going out and coming to their restaurants if the smoking ban passes.Restaurant owners seek limited smoking in eateries
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Vicksburg, Mississippi, 16 January 2006Smoking-ban proposal in board's corner
The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, Mississippi, 9 February 2006"I think this is something we need to take action on," Ward 5 Councilman Henry Naylor said after the Hub City Smoke Free Study Group finished a presentation before the council on Monday.
Smoke free in 2006? Starkville can become a good civic example
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Vicksburg, Mississippi, 8 February 2006Most of the meeting attendees supported a smoking ban.
The potential public health benefits outweigh any inconveniences.
We hope Starkville becomes an example of leadership and encourages similar action in other communities.Naylor urges smoking ban vote in council
Hattiesburg American, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 7 February 2006A proposal to ban smoking in all restaurants and workplaces in Hattiesburg is now in the hands of city council where it could come up for a vote within months.
"I think this is something we need to take action on," Ward 5 Councilman Henry Naylor said after the Hub City Smoke Free Study Group finished a presentation before the council Monday.
"This is a decision, no matter where we stand on the issue, we have a responsibility as elected officials to look at," Naylor said.
"Based on the information, it is clearly a health concern and there is good support in the community," volunteer Andrew Ellard said.
He cited statistics that indicated smoking costs Mississippi's health care system $662 million a year - or about $500 per household - and second-hand smoke is the third leading cause of death in the state.
Three surveys of approximately 400 city residents indicated slightly more than 70 percent support a ban on smoking in public places, according to the groups statistics, which were also broken down by council ward.
But Ellard also said almost 18 percent of people who responded said they would probably eat out more often if restaurants were entirely smoke-free while only about 7 percent said they would eat out less.
"There are more people not going to restaurants than there are people who would not go because of this," he said.Group proposes Hub City smoking ban
WDAM-7, Laurel-Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 7 February 2006Group calls for limit on smoking in Hattiesburg
The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, Mississippi, 3 February 2006"After conducting surveys, we found the percentages of people who support this are very high," ACS representative Lillie Willis said.
A June 2004 telephone poll of 401 registered voters in Hattiesburg showed that 74 percent favor an ordinance that prohibits smoking in public buildings, restaurants and bars. The Southern Research Group conducted the poll. There also is a bill in the Legislature that would prohibit smoking in state buildings.
Work by the Social Science Research Center at Mississippi State University indicates 70.3 percent of Forrest and Lamar county adults support smoke-free ordinances in indoor work areas and restaurants.Group sets target of smoke-free Hattiesburg
Hattiesburg American, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 3 February 2006But when Mitch Brown opens his new restaurant and upstairs lounge in downtown Hattiesburg, it will be smoke-free, and he wouldn't have it any other way.
"I'm so strong minded toward non-smoking, I really don't see it toward the other view," Brown said. "Actually as a patron of other restaurants I would like to see it."Group wants smoke-free restaurants
Hattiesburg American, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 2 February 2006A group of Hattiesburg citizens and members of the American Cancer Society will present an ordinance to Hattiesburg City Council next week to determine whether or not patrons of restaurants in the Hub City will be allowed to smoke.
“We are offering an ordinance that would make all restaurants and workplaces in Hattiesburg smoke-free,” ACS representative Lillie Willis said. “After conducting surveys, we found the percentages of people who support this are very high.”Things are smoking at the Capitol over issues on tobacco
The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, Mississippi, 29 January 2006Whatever the reason, the Legislature's newfound attitudes on tobacco are, excuse the obvious cliche, a breath of fresh air.
The bill approved by the House (HB 123) would do away with smoking in all publicly owned buildings, expanding laws that limit smoking and provide for designated smoking areas.
I know it is a small step, but a positive one for Mississippi, which has been hostile to smoke-free regulations.
Smoking is the biggest cause of preventable death. It is not too much to ask legislators for more protections from second-hand smoke in public places.
It is not a business issue or a private choice issue; it is a health issue.
Let's clear the air.Frontline helps reduce smoking
Hattiesburg American, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 28 January 2006In Mississippi alone, 4,700 people die annually from smoke-related causes. These deaths and sickness that stem from tobacco use costs Medicaid over $243 million each year. But with more than 12, 000 high school students involved in 600 teams, Frontline is fighting to reduce these huge numbers and, more importantly, is fighting to save lives.
Fortunately, numbers prove that Frontline is working. Since 1999, the number of high school smokers has reduced 32 percent. Hopefully one day, this number will be even drastically lower.
If you are interested in establishing a Frontline team at a local school, contact The Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi at (601) 362-0740.Calif. says secondhand smoke a pollutant
Sun Herald, Biloxi, Mississippi, 26 January 2006California became the first state to declare secondhand smoke a toxic air pollutant Thursday, citing its link to breast cancer. Experts said the decision may have more impact worldwide than it does in the largely smoke-free state.
The decision by the California Air Resources Board puts environmental tobacco smoke in the same category as diesel exhaust, arsenic and benzene.
The unanimous decision relied on a September report that found a sharply increased risk of breast cancer in young women exposed to secondhand smoke. It also links drifting smoke to premature births, asthma and heart disease, other cancers, and numerous health problems in children.
"If people are serious about breast cancer, they have to deal with secondhand smoke. That's what this is all about," said Dr. Stanton Glantz, director of the Center for Tobacco Control, Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco. He reviewed the science behind Thursday's decision. "This is a seminal, international document. It's impossible to underestimate what a big deal this is."
The report by scientists at California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment draws on more than 1,000 other studies of the effects of passive smoke. It blamed secondhand smoke for 4,000 deaths each year in California from lung cancer or heart disease alone.
The most significant new finding is that young women exposed to secondhand smoke increase their risk of developing breast cancer between 68 percent and 120 percent. The disease kills about 40,000 women in the United States each year.
"This is no longer some crazy, California, Left Coast way of thinking," said Cynthia Hallett, executive director of Berkeley-based Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights. She cited smoking bans that have been enacted or are being considered across the nation and in other countries.
The effect is likely to be greatest outside of California, which already bans smoking in or near most public buildings, including bars and restaurants. Much of the initial effort in California will focus on public education emphasizing the scientific findings and Thursday's air board decision, said Paul Knepprath, vice president for government relations at the American Lung Association of California.Smoking Ban Proposed For All Miss. Public Buildings
WAPT-16, Jackson, Mississippi, 26 January 2006Smoking would be banned inside all publicly owned buildings in Mississippi under a bill passed by the House.
The ban would cover city halls, county courthouses and state government buildings.
The bill was passed by the House on Wednesday. It moves to the Senate for further consideration.
Smoking is already limited to a few designated areas within the state Capitol.Forum crowd leans toward smoking ban
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Vicksburg, Mississippi, 20 January 2006Based on applause and comments at the meeting, the crowd appeared to overwhelmingly support the ordinance.
"I think I'd be negligent in representing people in my ward if I voted against it," he said.Tale of another college town [Athens, Georgia]
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Vicksburg, Mississippi, 15 January 2006"I really hear a lot of feedback from people enjoying being downtown" without having to brave smoke inside bars and restaurants, said Katie Calkin, a health educator with Athens Regional Medical Center.
Concerns about lost revenue from ban opponents appear to have been overblown. "Athens was not on the cutting edge of this issue," said Athens-Clarke County commissioner Eldon Dodson, pointing to long-standing smoking bans in New York, California and Europe. In those cities, tax revenues from bars have remained stable or increased after smoking bans, and Athens' experience has been the same, Dodson said.
"Not a single (bar) business has shut its doors," he said. "Four have opened. It has really made a huge difference" in Athens without hurting bar and restaurant owners.
Athens restaurant owners also say they haven't seen a significant difference in their sales since the no-smoking ordinance took effect in September.
The ordinance has created some unintended problems. Not allowing smoking inside created a wall of smokers that restaurant customers have to pass to find the front door.
As Dodson sees it, workplace safety is the major legal impetus for the Athens-Clarke ban. "There are very few things that OSHA bans that are as dangerous as smoking," said Dodson, an attorney. He cited European studies that showed four hours working in a smoky night club provided the same exposure to secondhand smoke as a month of living with a smoker. The health effects and costs of treating secondhand smoke exposure, Dodson said, are "just staggering."Tobacco tax fires up again in Legislature
The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, Mississippi, 16 January 2006If one of every three smokers quit the day the tax went up, he said, the dollar increase would still net $184 million for the state. And the coalition projected more money for the state, not from the tax — but by having to spend less on health care for people on public assistance because if they didn't smoke they could stay out of hospitals and clinics.
Tuck smokes em with tax shift proposal
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Vicksburg, Mississippi, 11 January 2006Group Promotes No-Smoking Agenda
WTOK-11, Meridian, Mississippi, 7 January 2006
MISSOURI
See Tobacco.org.
City Council hopefuls outline stance on proposed smoking ban
Columbia Missourian, Columbia, Missouri, 30 March 2006Smoking ban fires up election campaign
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Missouri, 29 March 2006Ex-Tobacco 'Insider' Helps Anti-Smoking Effort
KMBC-9, Kansas City, Missouri, 28 March 2006Colorado Becomes Latest Smoke-Free State
Kansas City infoZine, Kansas City, Missouri, 18 March 2006Board will review outdoor smoking areas
Columbia Missourian, Columbia, Missouri, 12 March 2006Chief expresses concern over teen smoking
Fulton Sun, Fulton, Missouri, 10 March 2006Board hears complaints, support for smoking ban
Columbia Missourian, Columbia, Missouri, 8 March 2006Tempers flare at smoking forum
Daily Tribune, Columbia, Missouri, 8 March 2006Proposed smoking ban up for comment
Columbia Missourian, Columbia, Missouri, 5 March 2006Smokers need not apply at this hospital
Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Missouri, 3 March 2006Truman extinguishes hiring of smokers
Kansas City Business Journal, Kansas City, Missouri, 16 February 2006Smoke-free proposal to get public hearing
Columbia Missourian, Columbia, Missouri, 15 February 2006Owners concerned about ban
The Maneater, Columbia, Missouri, 27 January 2006Steak ‘n Shake manager Heidi Parks said regular customers complained the most about the new smoking policy, however the complaints of non-smokers far outweighed the complaints of the smoking customers.
Brown also said the Artisan’s non-smoking policy has not had a negative effect on business.
Heidelberg general manager Rusty Walls said he is not too concerned about the economic effects of a smoking ban.
“As long as it’s banned everywhere in the city, I’m not worried about it,” Walls said.
Dean Andersen, the co-chairman of the Boone County Coalition for Tobacco Concerns, supports the proposed ban. He said if the changes are approved, there would be numerous benefits for the city.
“There is no safe exposure to second-hand smoke,” Andersen said. “A smoke-free workplace ordinance would protect workers in Columbia establishments from exposure to second-hand smoke.”Smoking ban proponents broaden proposed ordinance
Columbia Daily Tribune, Columbia, Missouri, 23 January 2006Smoking ban proposal pushes forward
Columbia Missourian, Columbia, Missouri, 22 January 2006Kurt Kienker, 51, who was having a cigarette outside the downtown Subway earlier this week, said he understands the concerns of nonsmokers.
“To tell you the truth, I don’t want to be around smoke when I eat either,” he said.
Dean Anderson, co-director of the Boone County Coalition for Tobacco Concerns, said studies conclude 35,000 to 50,000 nonsmokers die from second-hand smoke each year, and thousands are hospitalized. He said a ban on smoking is especially important to workers in bars and restaurants.
“No one should be expected to have to breathe it to hold a job.” Anderson said. “It’s bringing the service industry up to the standard of industries where smoking is regulated.”New Jersey ban against smoking gives pass to casinos
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Missouri, 16 January 2006"A good majority of the time, I'm surrounded in a cloud of smoke," said Rennich, 47, who doesn't smoke. "Even if it's a no-smoking table, it doesn't help. The way the smoke blows or drifts, you can only go so far. It'll find you."
NJ casinos get pass on new smoking ban
Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Missouri, 15 January 2006Hundreds of individual cities and counties around the country also ban smoking in workplaces, restaurants or bars. Chicago joins them Monday, when a ban on smoking in public places goes into effect, but the law gives taverns and restaurant bars in the city until 2008 to comply.
Maine gets A for snuffing out smoking
Daily Tribune, Columbia, Missouri, 11 January 2006Wash U To Conduct Smoking Cessation Study
KSDK-5, St. Louis, Missouri, 4 January 2006Success starts with some big dreams
Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Missouri, 1 January 2006
See Tobacco.org.
According to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, Montana law already prohibits smoking in public places and workplaces, including restaurants, bars, and casinos. However, there is a lengthy phase-in period for bars.
See Tobacco.org.
See Tobacco.org.
See Tobacco.org.
See Tobacco.org.
Smoking Bill Holds [click link and scroll down]
The State, Columbia, South Carolina, 2 March 2006New Jersey ban against smoking gives pass to casinos
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Missouri, 16 January 2006"A good majority of the time, I'm surrounded in a cloud of smoke," said Rennich, 47, who doesn't smoke. "Even if it's a no-smoking table, it doesn't help. The way the smoke blows or drifts, you can only go so far. It'll find you."
NJ casinos get pass on new smoking ban
The State, Columbia, South Carolina, 15 January 2006"What this is all about is government willing to not protect the health and welfare of their own citizens...."
NJ casinos get pass on new smoking ban
Herald-Leader, Lexington, Kentucky, 15 January 2006"On a daily basis, we breathe secondhand smoke three or four feet from our nose," said casino dealer Al DeSimone, 43. "We can't move side to side, we can't move away, we're stuck there. It's unhealthy."
NJ casinos get pass on new smoking ban
Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Missouri, 15 January 2006Hundreds of individual cities and counties around the country also ban smoking in workplaces, restaurants or bars. Chicago joins them Monday, when a ban on smoking in public places goes into effect, but the law gives taverns and restaurant bars in the city until 2008 to comply.
NJ Casinos Get Pass On New Smoking Ban
WRAL-5, Raleigh, North Carolina, 15 January 2006The ban, scheduled to take effect April 15, makes New Jersey the 11th state in the nation to prohibit smoking in restaurants and bars, according to the American Cancer Society. Smoking is already outlawed in New Jersey government buildings, and many private businesses restrict smoking.
NJ casinos get pass on new smoking ban
The Conservative Voice, North Carolina, 15 January 2006NJ casinos get pass on new smoking ban
Sun News, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, 15 January 2006NJ casinos get pass on new smoking ban
Island Packet, Hilton Head, South Carolina, 15 January 2006NJ casinos get pass on new smoking ban
News & Observer, Raleigh, North Carolina, 15 January 2006NJ Casinos Get Pass on New Smoking Ban
Gadsden Times, Gadsden, Alabama, 15 January 2006NJ Casinos Get Pass on New Smoking Ban
Times Daily, Alabama, 15 January 2006NJ Casinos Get Pass on New Smoking Ban
Tuscaloosa News, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 15 January 2006NJ casinos get pass on new smoking ban
Times Picayune, New Orleans, Louisiana, 15 January 2006NJ Casinos Get Pass on New Smoking Ban
Lexington Dispatch, Lexington, North Carolina, 15 January 2006
See Tobacco.org.
NEW YORK
See Tobacco.org.
According to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, New York law already prohibits smoking in public places and workplaces, including restaurants and bars.
NORTH CAROLINA
See Tobacco.org.
Fast Food Giant Goes Smoke Free in Wilmington
WECT-6, Wilmington, North Carolina, 30 March 2006[Colorado] Governor signs no-smoking bill
Bizjournals.com, North Carolina, 27 March 2006Fewer Triad restaurants permit patrons to light up
News Record, Greensboro, North Carolina, 20 March 2006More Triad restaurants are smoke free
News Record, Greensboro, North Carolina, 20 March 2006Annual Smoke-Free Youth Summit Set
The Pilot, Southern Pines, North Carolina, 15 March 2006Count those lives saved
The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, North Carolina, 6 March 2006Going smokeless
The Robesonian, Lumberton, North Carolina, 6 March 2006Fewer NC teens smoke, report says
News Record, Greensboro, North Carolina, 1 March 2006Smoking or non? Fewer places ask
Citizen-Times, Asheville, North Carolina, 25 February 2006One popular Asheville eatery recently decided to go smoke-free. The Asheville Pizza and Brewing Co. restaurant on Merrimon Avenue won’t allow customers to light up inside starting Wednesday.
“Our main justification is the health of our employees and ourselves,” said co-owner Mike Rangel. “We’re in here 50 to 60 hours a week.”
Secondhand smoke contains more than 60 chemical compounds that cause cancer, Bond said, and five minutes of exposure is equivalent to smoking a cigarette.
Elon University bans smoking in dorms
The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, North Carolina, 23 February 2006A survey showed that 82 percent of students - including some who smoke - favored the ban, school officials said.
"I strongly believe it should be banned," he said while smoking in between classes Wednesday. "My dirty habit and the health problems it causes should not be forced on other people."More High Country facilities go tobacco free
The Appalachian, Boone, North Carolina, 9 February 2006The health department currently offers restaurants that go tobacco-free a certificate of appreciation, a door decal alerting customers to the establishment’s smoke-free policy and a place on a public list of tobacco-free facilities.
The list currently includes 90 different restaurants and represents two-thirds of the dining establishments in Watauga County. Most recently, Wendy’s and Golden Coral have become smoke free.Smoking Ban
Winston-Salem Journal, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 3 February 2006Are we expected to believe the myth that nonsmoking areas in our restaurants are smoke-free?
The lungs of our prisoners are now protected, but our lungs, and our children's, are contaminated by noxious secondhand smoke in our eating establishments.
After passing this legislation to protect our prisoners, our representatives should wish to protect the health of our other citizens. We are told that these laws will be passed in the future, as they have been passed in other cities. Meanwhile, we continue to inhale.Clear the air
The Robesonian, Lumberton, North Carolina, 1 February 2006By the logic used in this article, restaurants should not be required to follow any sanitation guidelines or health codes. "A person can choose to enter a restaurant - or keep on walking - depending upon personal preference."
Tobacco price war in Spain is heating up
The Conservative Voice, North Carolina, 1 February 2006NC: Waffle House Bans Smoking in Tobacco Town
JoinTogether, Boston, Massachusetts, 31 January 2006RX for better health
News & Observer, Raleigh, North Carolina, 26 January 2006Stop smoking. If you smoke, and one of four North Carolinians does, quit. "It has to be at the top of anyone's list who's a smoker," Tsomides says. "It's such a killer. Heart disease, stroke, one-third of all cancers can be related to smoking. Half of smokers will die from a smoking-related cause."
Calif. Says Secondhand Smoke A Pollutant
WRAL-5, Raleigh, North Carolina, 26 January 2006California became the first state to declare secondhand smoke a toxic air pollutant Thursday, putting tobacco fumes in the same category as diesel exhaust, arsenic and benzene because of its link to breast cancer.
The unanimous decision by the state Air Resources Board relied on a September report that found a sharply increased risk of breast cancer in young women exposed to secondhand smoke. It also links drifting smoke to premature births, asthma and heart disease, as well as other cancers and numerous health problems in children.
"If people are serious about breast cancer, they have to deal with secondhand smoke. That's what this is all about," said Dr. Stanton Glantz, director of the Center for Tobacco Control, Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco.
"This is a seminal, international document," Glantz said. "It's impossible to underestimate what a big deal this is."Fast food faux pas, 'No Problem,' Hollywood elite, and cell phones
Up & Coming Magazine, North Carolina, 25 January 2006Pet Peeves...
5. Getting a library book and having part of the joy of reading it spoiled because someone who smokes read it before me (I used to smoke, too, so now I really regret what I did to all the non-smoking library card holders).Survey notes healthy restaurants
Bladen Journal, Elizabethtown, North Carolina, 24 January 2006Inmates Lose Tobacco Privileges
The Mountain Times, Boone, North Carolina, 19 January 2006State's anti-tobacco efforts for youth making strides
News & Observer, Raleigh, North Carolina, 18 January 2006NJ Casinos Get Pass On New Smoking Ban
WRAL-5, Raleigh, North Carolina, 15 January 2006The ban, scheduled to take effect April 15, makes New Jersey the 11th state in the nation to prohibit smoking in restaurants and bars, according to the American Cancer Society. Smoking is already outlawed in New Jersey government buildings, and many private businesses restrict smoking.
NJ casinos get pass on new smoking ban
The Conservative Voice, North Carolina, 15 January 2006NJ casinos get pass on new smoking ban
News & Observer, Raleigh, North Carolina, 15 January 2006NJ Casinos Get Pass on New Smoking Ban
Lexington Dispatch, Lexington, North Carolina, 15 January 2006Health Department Leading No Smoking Charge
The Mountain Times, Boone, North Carolina, 12 January 2006A local survey conducted by Watauga High School students in the summer of 2005, found that 82% of respondents preferred smoke-free restaurants, and that 100% would continue to eat at their favorite restaurants if they became totally smoke free. Of those responding, 19% were smokers.
No Smoking at Five Golden Corals in Triad [click link and scroll down]
News Record, Greensboro, North Carolina, 11 January 2006Some restaurants find smoke free good for business
Sun Journal, New Bern, North Carolina, 8 January 2006In making the decision, Greene said he noticed the number of smokers had dwindled, meaning the establishment's smoking section was never full. He also said additional cleaning required in a smoking section costs more money.
And, "it was the right thing to do," Greene said.
"I've gotten many good comments," Greene said, even from smokers. "Now, there is more mutual respect."Restaurants snuffing out smoking
The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, 1 January 2006
See Tobacco.org.
According to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, North Dakota law already prohibits smoking in public places and workplaces, including restaurants.
See Tobacco.org.
See Tobacco.org.
According to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, Oklahoma law already prohibits smoking in public places and most indoor workplaces, including restaurants. By March 1, 2006, restaurants must be totally nonsmoking or have separately ventilated smoking rooms.
See Tobacco.org.
According to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, Oregon law already prohibits smoking in public places and workplaces, including restaurants which deny access to minors.
See Tobacco.org.
See Tobacco.org.
According to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, Rhode Island law already prohibits smoking in public places and all workplaces, restaurants, and bars.
SOUTH CAROLINA
See Tobacco.org.
Discrimination filings persist
The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, 30 March 2006
Also on March 10, a U.S. district judge in Chicago approved a consent decree that requires Cracker Barrel restaurants to pay $2 million to 51 current and former employees of three of the chain's restaurants in Illinois. Several female employees testified that they had been victims of unwelcome sexual comments and touching from managers and other employees. Black workers said they had been required to wait on black customers when white employees refused to serve them, had been assigned to work in smoking sections and had been the targets of racially charged language.
Nonsmoker diagnosed with lung cancer fights clouded stigma against
Island Packet, Hilton Head, South Carolina, 27 March 2006Subcommittee Passes Smoking Ban Bill
WLTX-19, Columbia, South Carolina, 8 March 2006Arguments against smoke-free campaign do not alter facts
Post Courier, Charleston South Carolina, 8 March 2006Restaurant smoking ban moves forward in House
The State, Columbia, South Carolina, 8 March 2006Restaurant smoking ban moves forward in House
Sun News, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, 8 March 2006Bill to Ban Restaurant Smoking is Stuck
WLTX-19, Columbia, South Carolina, 1 March 2006Study: 7 in 10 favor eatery smoking ban
The Post and Courier, Charleston, South Carolina, 27 February 2006According to the collaborative, restaurant and bar workers have a 50 percent higher risk of developing lung cancer than the general population, and working a shift in a smoky bar is equivalent to smoking a pack of cigarettes.
Poll: Charlestonians want ban on indoor smoking
The Post and Courier, Charleston, South Carolina, 21 February 2006Seven out of 10 Charlestonians would support a city law banning indoor smoking in most public places, according to a new University of South Carolina poll.
"It is certainly the way every responsible municipality is going," Fishburne said. "It's time for Charleston to step up."Smoking ban good business
Island Packet, Hilton Head, South Carolina, 20 February 2006I was living in southern California when smoking was prohibited in all restaurants and bars. Many owners of such establishments were furious, convinced that they would go out of business because of a lack of customers. Instead, the exact opposite occurred. All the nonsmokers who had been staying home started to frequent those places where they could now breathe clean air....
The current system employed by many restaurants is a joke. How many times have you asked to be seated in the nonsmoking section, only to have a table full of smokers light up three feet away? Having designated smoking and nonsmoking sections in a restaurant is like having urinating and non-urinating ends of the pool.Smoking ban needs fire to pass
The State, Columbia, South Carolina, 19 February 2006House subcommittee discusses smoking ban
The State, Columbia, South Carolina, 15 February 2006"It's time we stop ignoring the reality that cigarette smoke in an enclosed environment is toxic," he said. "At a certain point, we have to stop fooling ourselves. It's about cancer. It's about dying. It's about someone's right to clean air."
Lisa Turner, the director of state tobacco initiatives with the American Cancer Society, said restaurant and bar employees should not have to breathe smoke-filled air.House subcommittee discusses smoking ban
Sun News, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, 15 February 2006Smoking ban to face test, lawmaker says
The Augusta Chronicle, Augusta, Georgia, 15 February 2006House panel discusses smoking ban
WIS-TV10, Columbia, South Carolina, 15 February 2006Debate questions whether the government has the right to ban smoking for private businesses
Island Packet, Hilton Head, South Carolina, 12 February 2006Bill Would Raise Legal Smoking Age to 21
WLTX-19, Columbia, South Carolina, 27 January 2006South Carolina lawmakers are already considering banning smoking in all bars and restaurants in the state. Now, they'll also debate whether to raise the legal age for smoking to 21.
Rep. John Graham Altman, R-Charleston, introduced the bill Thursday.
"I hear all the talk about raising the cigarette tax to keep children from smoking and I say, heck, I've got a way to do that--make it illegal," he says.Calif. says secondhand smoke a pollutant
Sun News, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, 26 January 2006The effect is likely to be greatest outside of California, which already bans smoking in or near most public buildings, including bars and restaurants.
Statewide Smoking Ban in the Works
WLTX-19, Columbia, South Carolina, 26 January 2006"My clothes smell when I get home," said Albert Chen. "I feel like I have to take a shower every time I go home."
...Which is about every night, since he owns The Clubhouse Restaurant, which is an all-smoking facility.
"Unfortunately we don't have any nonsmoking areas, but I wouldn't mind if we did," said Chen.
That's because Chen doesn't smoke, much like many of the people who'd like to dine there, but don't. "I've lost business before because people have come in looking for a nonsmoking area," Chen said. So, it's easy for him to back the bill.
"As long as it's across the board and all restaurants and bars ban it so you don't have some places that have and some places that don't, then I'm all for it," said Chen. "I think studies have shown it actually improves your business, especially your dining business."
Patron Stacie Crowson has lit up for more than a decade, but still likes the bill as long as smokers have a place to go while they're out. "Have heaters outside on the decks, where smokers can still be warm during the winter times and have a cigarette and not impede on people's heath," she suggested.
Health is a definite factor in Chen's decision to support the legislation. "I'd love it" he said. "I'll probably get beat up for saying that, but I know I'd live a lot longer."
If the bill passes, South Carolina would join a dozen states and the District of Columbia, which already banned smoking in bars and restaurants.House Bill Would Ban Smoking
WLTX-19, Columbia, South Carolina, 25 January 2006A bill now pending in the South Carolina House of Representatives would ban smoking in all bars and restaurants in the state. If it passes, South Carolina would join 12 other states and the District of Columbia that have already banned smoking in restaurants. Some have also included bars.
Rep. Todd Rutherford, D-Columbia, is the main sponsor of the bill.
"I am tired of going out in restaurants and leaving smelling like smoke and watching people that have asthma and other breathing conditions who feel like they can't even go out to eat any more unless the restaurant has already banned smoking," Rep. Rutherford says.
He says anyone who's been in a restaurant knows that having separate "smoking" and "non-smoking" sections doesn't work because the smoke drifts everywhere.
Natasha Whitling was eating lunch Wednesday in the non-smoking section of Yesterday's bar and restaurant in Columbia when she was told about the bill. She thinks it's a great idea.
"When you're in a restaurant, it's kind of disruptive to have that smoke smell interrupt your meal," she says. "And being a non-smoker, I actually have an allergy to it as well, and I feel like it's unhealthy, that this ban is just a step forward for us."
"In the states that have enacted it, New York and Florida in particular, that have done studies with bars and businesses, business has actually gone up, because non-smokers can now feel free to come out and enjoy themselves and not leave smelling like smoke. Or those people that have breathing problems can feel free to come out and not get sick at the end of the night," Rep. Rutherford says.
Yesterday's co-owner Duncan MacRae says that, as long as all bars and restaurants have to abide by a ban and it's fairly enforced, no business would get a competitive advantage, so he wouldn't mind it.
"A friend of mine owns Lizard's Thicket (restaurants), and when they went to the non-smoking atmosphere their business actually went up. So I'm looking forward to it," he says.A quick spin around the State House
The State, Columbia, South Carolina, 25 January 2006IN THE HOUSE: Convenes at 10 a.m. 9 a.m., 516 Blatt Building, Judiciary subcommittee reviews law on smoking prohibitions in restaurants.
Breathe Easy
Post Courier, Charleston South Carolina, 24 January 2006NJ casinos get pass on new smoking ban
The State, Columbia, South Carolina, 15 January 2006"What this is all about is government willing to not protect the health and welfare of their own citizens...."
NJ casinos get pass on new smoking ban
Sun News, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, 15 January 2006NJ casinos get pass on new smoking ban
Island Packet, Hilton Head, South Carolina, 15 January 2006Restaurants snuffing out smoking
The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, 1 January 2006
See Tobacco.org.
According to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, South Dakota law already prohibits smoking in public places and enclosed workplaces, including restaurants, except those licensed to sell alcohol.
TENNESSEE
See Tobacco.org.
Smoking area changed at local hospital
The Ashland City Times, Ashland, Tennessee, 29 March 2006Only lip-service given on legislation ethics
Oak Ridger, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 29 March 2006Lawmaker should keep smoking ban bill alive
Jackson Sun, Jackson, Tennessee, 28 March 2006Legislature still protecting those special interests
The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, 27 March 2006Smoking bans increase tax revenues
The News Sentinel, Knoxville, Tennessee, 27 March 2006State anti-smoking laws: same old story
The News Sentinel, Knoxville, Tennessee, 26 March 2006Smoke-free law could save lives [click and scroll down]
The News Sentinel, Knoxville, Tennessee, 26 March 2006Good bills go up in smoke
Tennessean, Nashville, Tennessee, 26 March 2006States: Smoke ban is a boon
The News Sentinel, Knoxville, Tennessee, 25 March 2006Smoking unwelcome at many more places
The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee, 25 March 2006Puff, Puff, Pass
Nashville Scene, Nashville, Tennessee, 23 March 2006Butts in the pool, smoke in my space
The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee, 23 March 2006Tennessee Legislators Say "No" to Non-Smoking
WVLT-8, Knoxville, Tennessee, 23 March 2006Legislature plays the big brother
The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee, 22 March 2006Series of bills to ban restaurant smoking shot down in flames
The News Sentinel, Knoxville, Tennessee, 22 March 2006No vote this session on bill to allow cities to set restaurant smoking ban
Tennessean, Nashville, Tennessee, 22 March 2006Smoking controls killed in Tenn.
The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee, 22 March 2006Smoke signals: area eateries to stay stinky
The City Paper, Nashville, Tennessee, 22 March 2006Smoking ban bills hit House resistance
The City Paper, Nashville, Tennessee, 22 March 2006Tennessee localities should set own smoking policies
Times News, Kingsport, Tennessee, 22 March 2006Smoking Ban Postponed In Tennessee
Bristol Herald Courier, Bristol, Tennessee, 22 March 2006No Smoking Bill Faces House Committee Tuesday
WTVF-5, Nashville, Tennessee, 21 March 2006Effort to snuff out public smoking gaining ground
The News Sentinel, Knoxville, Tennessee, 19 March 2006Lawmakers should ban smoking in the Capitol [click and scroll down]
Tennessean, Nashville, Tennessee, 19 March 2006Indoor smoking bans encouraged in Tennessee as tobacco influence wanes
The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee, 17 March 2006Smoking debate should be local
The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee, 17 March 2006High schoolers mix it up in legislative proceedings
The News Sentinel, Knoxville, Tennessee, 15 March 2006Push for Restaurant Smoking Ban Gets Bill
WTVF-5, Nashville, Tennessee, 14 March 2006Member of House Agriculture Committee killed by tobacco smoke
Replacement for Rep. Sharp to be appointed March 30
Times Free Press, Chattanooga, Tennessee, 13 March 2006See also...
Rep. Jack Sharp To Continue On Despite Aggressive Lung Cancer
The Chattanoogan, Chattanooga, Tennessee, 10 October 2005Lung cancer can strike at any age [click link and scroll down]
Tennessean, Nashville, Tennessee, 12 March 2006End of Smoking in Public Places
WDEF-12, Chattanooga, Tennessee, 10 March 2006Survey Suggests Global Burden of Disease Due to Smoking Will Increase
Cancer Consultants, Memphis, Tennessee, 10 March 2006More than half the students reported being exposed to second-hand smoke in public places.
Huckabee jogging from obscurity into the self-help heart of America
The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee, 9 March 2006Calling health care an economic issue, Huckabee has one more grand ambition before he leaves office: a statewide ban on smoking in workplaces, including restaurants and bars.
"People have a right to do things I think are stupid (but) I'm not restricting your right to smoke," he said. "I'm restricting your right to blow it on me."Remembering Reeve
The News Sentinel, Knoxville, Tennessee, 8 March 2006Lung cancer without smoking
WVLT-8, Knoxville, Tennessee, 9 March 2006Dana Reeve, wife of the late actor Christopher Reeve, died of lung cancer at age 44. In august of 2005, she announced she had lung cancer but never smoked.
Business Pulse poll results: Ban smoking in restaurants
Memphis Business Journal, Memphis, Tennessee, 28 February 2006A smoking ban in Memphis restaurants has broad support locally, a Memphis Business Journal online survey found.
Now that most public places in America are smoke free, businesses are under fire for allowing smoking. Moreover, non-smokers are getting more vocal in their opposition to smoking sections in restaurants. Local governments can't impose smoking restrictions that are tougher than state law, so it's up to individual restaurants to initiate smoking bans in Memphis.
MBJ asked its readers last week: Are you in favor of banning smoking in restaurants?
The question is on the minds of many, as evident from our online survey, which received a record of 390 responses. The MBJ poll found that the overwhelming majority of readers, 79 percent, support a ban on smoking in restaurants and only 20 percent oppose such ban. Contrary to past surveys, respondents were unequivocal about the issue, with only 1 percent of respondents undecided.
Not only are readers clear about the question, they are also verbal. MBJ received over 70 written comments to this hot-button question.
Supporters of the ban say:
"As a former smoker, I have come to realize smoking in restaurants is just plain inconsiderate of others. Anyone who can't stop smoking for 1-2 hours while eating should really take a long look at the control tobacco has over his or her life."
"Smokers have every right to pollute themselves, but they don't have the right to do it to me. If I drop $120 at Paulette's or Folk's Folly, it's not to smell burning weeds."
"I frequently travel to Florida where smoking has been banned in public buildings. It is SO nice to go into a restaurant and have an all smoke-free environment."
"It should be a state regulation or perhaps even a federal regulation -- no smoking in restaurants. This needs to include bars as well. Smoking is a known health risk, and if people are stupid enough to smoke indoors, then the government needs to intervene."
"I am a restaurant owner who fully supports a state or city ban on smoking in restaurants."
"There's nothing more disgusting than inhaling smoke while eating. Smokers should wait till they're outside to light up and not be so selfish."Let towns decide smoking
Tennessean, Nashville, Tennessee, 27 February 2006The Tennessee General Assembly should take the opportunity to join the 21st century and get real on anti-smoking laws.
Tennessee's current law is a joke. A decade ago, when other states and cities were passing laws restricting smoking in public places, the General Assembly reversed course and ran the other direction. It passed a law in 1994 that prohibits local governments from adopting anti-smoking laws more restrictive than those adopted by the state.
At the time, state lawmakers insisted that the bill was needed as a matter of consistency. Guess they thought the average Tennessean traveling across the state was too dumb to read a "No Smoking" sign at a restaurant.
Yet the real impetus behind the bill wasn't consistency; it was the tobacco lobby, tobacco growers and the tobacco users in the legislature who were all determined to ward off anti-smoking laws.
Since that time, states and cities have continued to tighten smoking laws to protect non-smokers from second-hand smoke.
Officials in Lakeland, Tenn., discussed an anti-smoking ordinance just weeks ago, only to be told that a local law would violate the state law. At least 11 Tennessee cities have adopted resolutions asking the General Assembly to repeal the 1994 law so that they can determine their own smoking policies. The Metro Council adopted such a resolution more than two years ago.
Two anti-smoking bills have been introduced in the legislature. One would ban smoking at all restaurants in Tennessee; the other, which would allow local governments to establish their own anti-smoking policies, is the better way to go. That bill would allow towns and cities across this state to broaden the anti-smoking debate beyond restaurants.
But either measure is a far cry better than the status quo.
Most state lawmakers are up for re-election this year. Passage of an anti-smoking measure would put something significant on their resume.Healthy air all around [Click link and scroll down]
The City Paper, Nashville, Tennessee, 23 February 2006Votes on smoking ban bills delayed
The City Paper, Nashville, Tennessee, 22 February 2006The committee votes on two bills that would either ban smoking in restaurants or give local governments authority to do so were delayed Tuesday.
Rep. Paul Stanley (R-Memphis), the House sponsor of the local government measure, said he wanted the three-week delay to give him time to make his bill more “realistic” and to lobby the members of the House Agriculture Committee in favor of it.
Stanley compared trying to push a smoking ban bill through the tobacco friendly House Agriculture Committee to “David vs. Goliath.”
“My problem is I don’t have a slingshot,” Stanley said.
Stanley said his bill that would give local governments the authority to ban smoking in public restaurants — a power they did have prior to the mid-‘90s — is something that’s “going to pass in time.”
“This issue of smoking in public places is only going to grow and multiply to a larger degree in coming years,” Stanley said.
Making the bill more realistic may involve broadening the current measure to make sure it only applies to restaurants, and not bars, Stanley said.
In the state Senate Tuesday, a vote on a second measure that would ban smoking outright in public restaurants was delayed as well and assigned to a subcommittee.
Both bills are being supported by the American Cancer Society and opposed by groups like the Tennessee Restaurant Association and tobacco interest groups.Could smoking in restaurants be banned?
The City Paper, Nashville, Tennessee, 21 February 2006Smoking at Nashville restaurants could be banned in the future through two bills currently being debated in the state legislature.
If one of the bills becomes law this year, customers’ smoking would be banned within all of the state’s public restaurants by Jan. 1, 2007.
As a result of its importance to some students, the bill was drafted by Anderson County High School students and is being sponsored by two lawmakers who represent that East Tennessee district, Sen. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) and Rep. Jim Hackworth (D-Clinton).Heads up [Click link and scroll down]
The City Paper, Nashville, Tennessee, 16 February 2006How long will it be before Nashville and Tennessee see the light and join the rest of the civilized world in banning smoking in public indoor places?
Va. Senate passes bill to ban smoking in restaurants [Click link and scroll down]
The News Sentinel, Knoxville, Tennessee, 14 February 2006Cancer deaths fall for first time in over 70 years
The Daily Times, Maryville, Tennessee, 9 February 2006For the first time in more than 70 years, annual cancer deaths in the United States have fallen, a turning point in the war on cancer likely achieved by declines in smoking and better tumor detection and treatment.
The number of cancer deaths dropped to 556,902 in 2003, down from 557,271 the year before, according to a recently completed review of U.S. death certificates by the National Center for Health Statistics.
``Even though it's a small amount, it's an important milestone,'' said Dr. Michael Thun, who directs epidemiological research for the American Cancer Society.
It's the first annual decrease in total cancer deaths since 1930, according to a cancer society analysis of federal death data.Ex-smoker wants smoking ban
The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee, 2 February 2006California labels second-hand smoke as a toxin
WBIR-10, Knoxville, Tennessee, 27 January 2006Adults may also face health problems connected with exposure to second-hand smoke, the OEHHA concluded. There are more cases of breast cancer in pre-menopausal women exposed to second-hand smoke, and it has been shown to have links to lung and sinus cancer, heart disease, asthma, and eye and nasal irritations.
Burned tobacco is a mixture of dozens of chemicals, including benzene, butadiene and arsenic. Those chemicals have been previously identified as toxic.
The labeling of second-hand smoke as a toxic air contaminant could eventually lead to legislation that further limits where one can smoke.Council considers smoker’s gazebo
News Examiner, Gallatin, Tennessee, 23 January 2006Letter: City leaders should think more clearly
News Examiner, Gallatin, Tennessee, 23 January 2006On Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006 a majority of our council members voted to spend $3,300 of our money to purchase a gazebo so the smokers at City Hall won’t have to stand in the rain to smoke. Guess they haven’t heard of umbrellas yet!
We, the taxpayers of Gallatin, should demand clearer thinking and better judgment from our elected officials. We have families in this city that can’t afford to have their money wasted. Yes, this is a city. It is not a social club.
Non-smokers already subsidize health insurance premiums for smokers, now we are buying them a gazebo. This is a gross waste of taxpayer’s money.
Did it never occur to our mayor and council members that other city employees might feel that they weren’t treated fairly? Are they going to want a gazebo too? How much is that going to cost us?
Two of the council members expressed empathy for those poor souls that have to go outside to smoke and one member even whined that some people call smoking a “Bad Habit.” No joke!
Mr. Mayberry made some excellent points and had the foresight to vote against wasting our money. The other council members didn’t seem interested in what he had to say. Would it not have been appropriate to consider the best interest of all citizens, not just a select group?
We don’t know what position Mr. Hayes would have taken on this issue. He wasn’t there.
Voters forget a lot of things but we can remember fountains and gazebos.
Pat Rawlings
GallatinSmoking Horrors
The News Sentinel, Knoxville, Tennessee, 23 January 2006"In the largest study of its kind, plastic surgeons found smoking during pregnancy significantly elevates the risk of having a child with excess, webbed or missing fingers and toes."
Legislators carve out room of their own: 'Cloakroom' out of public view
Tennessean, Nashville, Tennessee, 19 January 2006Some fear the room will become the quintessential "smoke-filled back room" and, in fact, there were cigarette butts in the sink when a reporter walked into the room yesterday. Others noticed the lingering smoke, too.
Drew Johnson, the president of the free-market think tank Tennessee Center for Policy Research, was seeking a place to hang his coat before meetings yesterday with legislators when he stumbled upon the room.
"I noticed a door in the front corner of Legislative Plaza's Room 12 that I assumed to be a coat closet. When I opened the door, I was shocked," Johnson said. "It was like something out of a Capra movie — a small room with a huge conference table and smoke lingering in the air."
The room apparently is being used as the legislature debates ethics reforms in the wake of the Operation Tennessee Waltz sting. In that case, federal authorities say that "bag men" slipped lawmakers cash behind closed doors.
Neither the Senate nor the House is embracing the totality of the state's open meeting laws, which say that meetings must be public if they involve two or more members of a governing body.
The General Assembly long ago exempted itself from the state's open records laws, which means lawmakers can keep much of what they do from public eyes. And documents such as sexual harassment complaints against legislators also are kept secret.
"At a time in which so many Tennesseans are calling for openness in government, it is shameful that legislators apparently created a room to hide their actions from the public," Johnson said.
Though most state buildings are smoke-free, smoking is still allowed in some of the Capitol complex. It was banned last year in much of the area controlled by the House, including House meeting rooms. However, the Senate side has no policy. Some common areas are still smoke-filled, including part of the press room.Smoke Free List
Bristol Herald Courier, Bristol, Tennessee, 12 January 2006Let cities kick the habit
Tennessean, Nashville, Tennessee, 4 January 2006
See Tobacco.org.
See Tobacco.org.
According to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, Utah law already prohibits smoking in public places and restaurants, including attached bars. All employers must have a smoking policy meeting specified criteria.
Congress remains a room full of smoke
Daily Herald, Provo, Utah, 20 February 2006
See Tobacco.org.
According to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, Vermont law already prohibits smoking in public places, restaurants, bars, and private clubs. All employers must have a written smoking policy meeting specified criteria.
VIRGINIA
See Tobacco.org.
Central State to snuff smoking; some patients fume
Daily Press, Hampton Roads, Virginia, 8 May 2006Smoking bans do work
The Hook, Charlottesville, Virginia, 30 March 2006Chips oust cigarettes as state export leader
The Virginian Pilot, Hampton Roads, Virginia, 28 March 2006Many restaurants are going smoke-free - and loving the results
The Virginian Pilot, Hampton Roads, Virginia, 17 March 2006"We lost some business, but we gained a lot more," he said. While a few customers have balked at not being allowed to smoke, Farsi said there are "a lot more folks on the opposite end."
That's in line with the research on the issue, Donovan said.
"Any place they've done it, after about six months their business actually increases," she said .
Those customers who do smoke, he added, "typically will step outside and don't seem to mind."
Giuffre and Farsi said they frequently hear positive comments from customers about the smoke-free status.No Haze? It Pays
Going cigarette-free has proved a smoking gun for patronage at Henrico restaurants
Richmond.com, Richmond, Virginia, 14 March 2006Religious Case Against Smoking
The Connection Newspapers, Virginia, 8 March 2006Smoking ban dies in House subcommittee
Times Community Newspapers, Virginia, 8 March 2006Smoking in Public Places Debate
The Virginian Pilot, Hampton Roads, Virginia, 6 March 2006Smoking ban will ease health problems
Collegiate Times, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, 27 February 2006Obviously, this didn't make it to press in time. It's too bad that your "representatives" are only too eager to profit from your health problems. Just keep holding your breath. You don't need to breathe if it interferes with the "right" to smoke.
Six "representatives" sold themselves to Big Tobacco (reportedly for a meager $29,100 last year), choosing to ignore the wishes of 84% of their constituents. What a disgraceful abuse of power! See the following articles for all the disgusting details....
Panel that snuffed ban had strong tobacco ties
The Virginian Pilot, Hampton Roads, Virginia, 25 February 2006The General Laws' six-member subcommittee that unanimously put out the legislation included three of the five delegates who received the most money from the tobacco industry during the 2004-05 election cycle, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that tracks money in state politics.
The subcommittee makes up 6 percent of the House of Delegates but received 16 percent of the money the tobacco industry donated to House members during the last election, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
Legislative rules spark burning questions
Roanoke Times, Roanoke, Virginia, 25 February 2006Senator tries to breathe life into smoking ban
Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, Virginia, 25 February 2006Roanoke County senator: smoking bill deserved a fair hearing
Roanoke Times, Roanoke, Virginia, 24 February 2006Restaurant smoking ban voted down
Daily Press, Hampton Roads, Virginia, 24 February 2006Is it really a "vote" when six guys paid by Big Tobacco make a decision contrary to the wishes of 84% of Virginians and the Senate?
Rule allowing subcommittees to kill bills prompts complaints
WVEC-13, Norfolk, Virginia, 24 February 2006
WAVY-10, Hampton Roads, Virginia, 24 February 2006
Daily Press, Hampton Roads, Virginia, 24 February 2006Smoking bill's future uncertain in House subcommittee
Roanoke Times, Roanoke, Virginia, 23 February 2006Looks like they've had ethics training from Tennessee's tobacco representatives....
A Senate bill to ban smoking in restaurants, bowling alleys and other public indoor areas is scheduled to be heard today by a House subcommittee whose six members received $29,100 in donations from tobacco interests last year.
New rules for the House of Delegates approved this year allow subcommittees to kill bills, without recorded votes, before they ever reach the full, 22-member committees.
In 2005 the six delegates on the subcommittee received an average of $4,850 each in campaign contributions from tobacco companies and interest groups, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. Only three faced opposition in their general election races.
Bell said Wednesday that SB 648 should not be killed in subcommittee. The legislation has generated a great deal of public interest, he said, and deserves to be heard before the full committee.
"This is an important measure to an extraordinarily large number of Virginians," Bell said. "They want this measure heard, and heard before the [full] body."Smoking is an addiction, not a right
Roanoke Times, Roanoke, Virginia, 23 February 2006I guess the day that we stop labeling this "addiction" as a "right" will be the day that we won't have to feel that our right to breathe clean air is being infringed upon, and that somehow we are stripping smokers of their "rights."
Hopefully one day our research will allow possible medicinal uses for this crop so that we won't have to sacrifice lives to keep the tobacco farmer in business.
On the other hand, if the argument is that tobacco is a legal product, then maybe we should outlaw it like we have done for marijuana, crack, and meth. If the Big Tobacco dealers and their junkies cannot be reasonable, why should we aim for a mere compromise by banning tobacco use only in public places?Plan to widen smoking ban faces new test
Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, Virginia, 23 February 2006"I think it deserves a full hearing before the full House committee," Bell said. "Secondhand smoke is not just an annoyance. It is a health hazard, and Virginians are coming forward every day to tell us this is something they want addressed."
New version of bill lets hotels set smoking rooms
The Virginian Pilot, Hampton Roads, Virginia, 23 February 2006"Why shouldn't we regulate indoor smoking to protect workers from secondhand smoke when we know it kills approximately 1,000 Virginians a year?" he said.
"The bottom line is we're not talking about a smoker's right to smoke indoors. We're talking about my right not to breathe in the 4,000 chemicals and 60 carcinogens that are associated with secondhand smoke."Thinning the smoke
The Cavalier Daily, Charlottesville, Virginia, 22 February 2006In reality, the National Cancer Institute reports that separating smokers and nonsmokers within the same air space reduces, but does not eliminate, the effects of secondhand smoke. The dangerous chemicals in cigarette smoke can be ventilated to affect people at much farther distances than generally thought. The American legal system protects those who suffer without reasonably expecting the consequences. In this case, nonsmokers deserve to be protected against smokers and against the establishments that allow people to smoke freely.
Critics of smoke-free laws typically bring up one primary argument: Businesses will suffer economic losses if their patrons cannot smoke. This claim has been invalidated by countless studies. In general, businesses that ban smoking do not see economic losses, according to studies cited by Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights. In some cases, businesses even see a positive impact.
Even if you do believe businesses will suffer, the economic cost of secondhand smoke far outweighs any rare losses in business profits. The Society of Actuaries determined that secondhand smoke costs an estimated $10 billion per year in medical costs and lost wages. Cigarette and secondhand smoking also cost $92 billion in productivity losses, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. These statistics indicate the potential for a significant economic lift with even reduced secondhand smoking effects.
When people are dying and money is lost, corrective measures usually follow. The federal government has stagnated for one reason: tobacco lobbyists. If smoking were banned in indoor places, consumption of tobacco products would inevitably decrease, as well as its general acceptability in public. Unfortunately, tobacco lobbyists hold great power in this nation at local, state and federal levels. A joint report by the Tobacco-Free Actions Fund and Common Cause determined that the tobacco industry gave more than $2 million in contributions directly to federal candidates in the 2003-2004 election cycle alone.
These contributions directly affect the decision making of these politicians. For example, recent legislation to grant the FDA authority over tobacco products was turned down by a House-Senate committee. Those who voted against the legislation in the committee received an average of $27,255 versus approximately $5,505 for committee members who voted for the resolution. Though correlation does equate causation, the statistic does raise some suspicions about where these Congress members' interests lie: with tobacco industry contributors or with the American people who elected them.
As more and more states address smoking in public, we must question the viewpoint of our own federal government. These other nations have taken the necessary steps to ban public smoking to protect the health and well-being of their citizens. Meanwhile right here at home, the United States federal government seems more concerned with keeping those generous tobacco companies happy.Anti-smoking bill revised to allow hotels more leeway
WAVY-10, Hampton Roads, Virginia, 22 February 2006Public must demand nonsmoking buildings
Roanoke Times, Roanoke, Virginia, 22 February 2006General Assembly: Smoking-Ban Debate
Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, Virginia, 21 February 2006James L. Repace, an expert on secondhand smoke and a former Environmental Protection Agency scientist, has spent a lot of time in bars and restaurants before and after smoking bans.
Repace said he has generally seen either no impact or an improvement in patronage after smoking is prohibited. It's not surprising, he said, considering about 30 percent of the population avoids going to restaurants and other businesses that allow smoking. That's a larger market than the 21 percent of the population that smokes.
When a no-smoking law puts all businesses on a level playing field, "people who couldn't go to bowling alleys, restaurants, bingo halls and bars before [the ban] now have the opportunity to do so," Repace said. "That is an untapped source of revenue for the industry."
After New York City adopted a smoke-free law in 2003, business receipts and employment increased in restaurants and bars, according to a report by several city departments.
Business tax receipts for restaurants and bars increased 8.7 percent from April 1, 2003, to Jan. 31, 2004, compared with the same period in 2002-2003.
Employment in New York restaurants and bars increased by 10,600 jobs from the date the smoke-free law was adopted in March 2003 to December 2003.
Tobacco-control advocates say Virginia businesses would have a similar experience.
"The best studies show that there is actually no evidence anywhere that smoke-free laws are harmful to business," said Danny McGoldrick, vice president for research at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "What we hear is a lot of anecdotes on the other side, but when people really look at hard economic data, we just don't find that."
The organization has compiled a number of studies from various sources backing the argument that smoking bans don't hurt patronage of restaurants and bars and often improve business.
A February 2004 study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that after El Paso, Texas, banned smoking in restaurants and bars in 2002, revenue from those businesses was not affected. The CDC and the Texas Department of Health analyzed sales tax and mixed-beverage tax data in the 12 years before and the year after the effective date of the law.
A study by the Harvard School of Public Health found that one year after Massachusetts banned smoking indoors in July 2004, sales and employment in the state's bars, nightclubs and restaurants had not been affected.Firsthand source on secondhand smoke
Roanoke Times, Roanoke, Virginia, 20 February 2006Confessions of an ex-smoker: I will never say, 'quit'
The News Leader, Staunton, Virginia, 19 February 2006Smoking ban makes sense for workers' health
Daily Press, Hampton Roads, Virginia, 18 February 2006While opponents of this legislation will continue to call it big-government extremism at the expense of business, the Senate should be commended for responding to the will of the people.
A recent Mason-Dixon poll found that 84 percent of Virginians believe that all workers should be protected from secondhand smoke. Of course they should.
Secondhand smoke kills about 38,000 people each year. When you breathe it in, you are taking formaldehyde, cyanide, carbon monoxide and arsenic into your lungs. Thirty minutes of exposure to secondhand smoke can result in stiffened, clogged coronary arteries, affecting flow of blood to heart muscle.
Even if you are a smoker, it is hard to argue with a person's right to not be exposed to that on the job. That is why the same poll reported that 61 percent of smokers also feel the right to breathe clean air in restaurants is more important than the right to smoke indoors in public places.
As for businesses, there is no evidence showing that clean indoor air legislation will hurt the state's economy or lead to unemployment. In fact, case studies in states and cities that have gone smoke free show either no economic impact or a positive impact on the economy.
More importantly, there is evidence showing that clean indoor air legislation can lead to a lower number of heart attacks. There is a direct correlation between smoking bans and improved health.
If the Virginia House of Delegates wants to represent the majority of its constituency, and protect the health of all Virginians, then it will pass this common-sense legislation.Puffs to poof?
Roanoke Times, Roanoke, Virginia, 16 February 2006Virginia's slim chance to ban smoking
Roanoke Times, Roanoke, Virginia, 15 February 2006In Virginia, the economic costs of smoking resulting from added health care and loss of productivity averages about $3.9 billion a year.
Between 35,000 and 65,000 nonsmoking Americans each year die from second-hand smoke. Repeat: non-smoking Americans.
The government expresses no qualms about strict health standards for storing and handling food to keep people from dying of food poisoning. Diners forced to ingest poisoned clouds of smoke drifting from smoking sections should warrant the same concern.News-7 Poll: Virginians favor restaurant smoking ban
WDBJ-7, Roanoke, Virginia, 15 February 2006Operation Smokeout
Richmond.com, Richmond, Virginia, 15 February 2006No "butts;" fine would cost slacker smokers $250 per violation
Richmond.com, Richmond, Virginia, 14 February 2006A bill that would make littering cigarette butts from a motor vehicle a crime passed in the House of Delegates last week. The vote was 76-24.
The Senate also wrestled with a different issue involving cigarettes: a bill that would ban smoking indoors in most public places.
While senators defeated the bill on a vote of 18 to 20 last week, they later voted to reconsider the matter, and yesterday passed the bill to the House of Delegates on a 21-18 vote. Unlike a similar attempt last year, SB 648, sponsored by Sen. Brandon Bell, R-Roanoke, would allow local governments to decide if the ban applies to restaurants.Butts out in Virginia? The state Senate votes yes
Virginian Pilot, Hampton Roads, Virginia, 14 February 2006The margin was slim, the victory likely symbolic, but the signal sent Monday was still seismic.
In the state where tobacco was once undisputed king and Philip Morris has its headquarters, the Virginia Senate passed legislation that would ban smoking in restaurants and most other public spaces.
“The Senate has sent an early Valentine to the citizens of Virginia,” said Donna Reynolds, the director of community relations for the American Lung Association of Virginia. “I do think they heard the public.”
“This is not about whether I prefer or don’t prefer to smell smoke,” Bell said. “This is about public health.”Va. Senate approves smoking ban
Times Dispatch, Richmond, Virginia, 14 February 2006The state that gave birth to the U.S. tobacco industry moved one step closer yesterday to making smoking illegal in many public places.
The state Senate approved legislation that would prohibit cigarette smoking in most public, indoor locations, including restaurants. The bill passed by a 21-18 vote after a vigorous debate that cut across party lines.
The bill is still a long way from becoming law. It now moves to the House of Delegates, where its prospects are uncertain. But supporters greeted yesterday's vote as a major victory, coming one year after the Senate soundly defeated similar legislation.
Donna Reynolds, community relations director for the American Lung Association of Virginia, attributed the vote to growing public demand for restrictions on secondhand smoke. "[The senators] listened to their constituents," she said. "The health message prevailed."
The vote was unprecedented in a state where tobacco has traditionally enjoyed favorable policies. First grown commercially here by settlers in the early 1600s, tobacco remains one of Virginia's top money-producing crops, but production has dropped steeply in recent years.Senate passes amended anti-smoking bill
Roanoke Times, Roanoke, Virginia, 14 February 2006The Senate voted Monday to pass legislation that would ban smoking in restaurants, bowling alleys and most workplaces.
Senate Bill 648 failed on a floor vote last week before it was resurrected minutes later. Its sponsor, Sen. Brandon Bell, R-Roanoke County, had been looking for a way to amend it to pass. Ironically, the scope of the amended bill is wider than the original's, as it includes a statewide ban on smoking in restaurants.
Last week's version of SB 648 would have allowed cities and counties to ban restaurant smoking or require larger nonsmoking sections. That bill failed on a 20-18-1 vote.
The amended version doesn't include a local option, but instead includes restaurants in a list of places where smoking is banned. Unlike last week's bill, this version is supported by the Virginia Restaurant Association, Bell said.
That was enough to sway four senators to change their votes in favor of the legislation.Virginia Senate passes indoor smoking ban
The Washington Post, Washington, DC, 14 February 2006The Virginia Senate voted Monday to ban smoking in restaurants and virtually all other public places, an extraordinary sign of cultural change in a state that is home to the worldwide headquarters of Philip Morris and whose agricultural economy has been rooted in tobacco farming for almost 400 years.
The bill is unlikely to survive review in the House of Delegates. Yet its passage on the floor of the Senate -- where smoking has never been formally banned and lawmakers lit up openly even until the late 1990s -- signaled mounting popular support for smoking restrictions.
The chamber narrowly approved the measure after a short but intense debate over consumer choice and the public health risks of secondhand smoke.Va. smoking ban would clear air for all
Collegiate Times, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, 14 February 2006Senate passes bill to ban smoking in restaurants
WAVY-10, Hampton Roads, Virginia, 13 February 2006Virginia Senate passes bill to ban smoking in restaurants
Daily Press, Hampton Roads, Virginia, 13 February 2006Indoor smoking ban advances
Times Dispatch, Richmond, Virginia, 13 February 2006Va. Senate passes bill to ban smoking in restaurants [Click link and scroll down]
The News Sentinel, Knoxville, Tennessee, 14 February 2006Virginia Senate passes bill to ban smoking in restaurants
WVEC-13, Norfolk, Virginia, 13 February 2006Lawmakers meeting just a few miles from the headquarters of the world's largest cigarette company advanced a bill Monday to prohibit smoking in all of Virginia's restaurants, taverns and most other public, indoor places.
"I would be pleasantly surprised if it goes all the way through," said Anne Morrow Donley of the Virginia Group to Alleviate Smoking in Public, which vigorously lobbied for the less-restrictive 1990 law. "It's time we had more protections for everyone."
"This is about the rights of the nonsmoker not to be exposed to this for health reasons," Bell told his colleagues.
Sen. Richard L. Saslaw, D-Fairfax, argued that restricting smoking is akin to regulating restaurants' storage and handling of food to protect public health.
"This doesn't have a thing to do with property rights," Saslaw said. "We have a right and an obligation to protect people from a health menace or a health danger."
Currently, 18 states prohibit smoking in restaurants, according to GASP, and 12 of those states ban smoking in all other workplaces.Smokers May Have to Leave the Cigarettes Outside, Senate Passes Bill
WAVY-10, Hampton Roads, Virginia, 13 February 2006Statewide restaurant smoking ban passes Senate
WDBJ-7, Roanoke, Virginia, 13 February 2006Anti-smoking bill runs into a roadblock in the state senate
WDBJ-7, Roanoke, Virginia, 8 February 2006Smoking ban suffers setback
Times Dispatch, Richmond, Virginia, 9 February 2006"Other states across the nation have moved forward to protect their citizens," Bell said. "I think this is a common-sense, slow-motion step, allowing localities to take their own way."
Bell's anti-smoking bill dies, but rises from ashes
Roanoke Times, Roanoke, Virginia, 9 February 2006A bill to ban smoking in most public places and allow localities to do the same in restaurants was killed on the Senate floor, only to be resurrected a few minutes later.
Senate Bill 648 failed on a 20-18 vote, with one senator abstaining and another not voting at all. However, Sen. Ken Stolle, R-Virginia Beach, who had voted against the bill, later requested it be reconsidered. The Senate unanimously agreed.
SB 648 would prohibit smoking in many areas open to the public, including bowling alleys, stadiums and most indoor workplaces. It would also give cities and counties the power to prohibit smoking in restaurants.
Stolle said after the session he asked the bill to be reconsidered to allow its sponsor, Sen. Brandon Bell, R-Roanoke County, the opportunity to write an amendment that would ban smoking in restaurants, instead of just giving localities the chance to do so. Stolle said he'd likely vote for the bill if such an amendment were to be added.
Bell said he'd felt more comfortable with allowing localities to make their own decisions, as it wasn't as large a step away from the current system, which requires restaurants with more than 50 seats to provide nonsmoking sections.
However, he said he'd consult with other senators and would certainly consider amending SB 648.Smoking ban bill barely alive
Times Dispatch, Richmond, Virginia, 8 February 2006A bill that would ban smoking in most indoor public places in Virginia remained alive in the state Senate today, but only barely.
The legislation would prohibit smoking in most indoor public places, but it would give local governments the option of restricting smoking in restaurants. Some business groups, including the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association, have opposed that proposal, arguing that a statewide ban would be better than a patchwork of local laws.
Bell said he may offer an amendment that would make smoking illegal in restaurants statewide rather than allowing a local option.Smoking ban wins first vote
Times Dispatch, Richmond, Virginia, 3 February 2006A proposed ban on smoking in most public, indoor places in Virginia took its first step through the General Assembly yesterday.
"I think this has a great deal of support in the public," said Sen. Brandon Bell, R-Roanoke County, sponsor of this year's bill.
The bill would make smoking illegal in other public, indoor venues, including workplaces, with a few exceptions such as specialty tobacco shops. Hotels could have smoking rooms as long as the number does not exceed 20 percent of the total rooms.
Sen. Richard L. Saslaw, D-Fairfax, said a law against indoor smoking would help restaurants by attracting customers who normally avoid smoky places. Saslaw said he knows a restaurant owner in Northern Virginia who had a large increase in patronage after prohibiting smoking in his businesses.
He also defended a smoking ban as a way to reduce the costs of smoking-related illnesses.
"To me, it is not a matter of freedom of choice," Saslaw said. "The people who smoke, their civil rights stop at my checkbook. The more we can do limit these people's ability to use that product, the better off society will be and the lower our health bills will be."Smoking bill advances; House passes estate tax bill
Roanoke Times, Roanoke, Virginia, 3 February 2006The Senate Committee on Education and Health voted 10-5 Thursday to approve legislation that would ban smoking in many public buildings and give localities the power to ban it in restaurants.
Senate Bill 648 would make it illegal to smoke in such places as bowling allies, nursing homes, stadiums and other areas open to the public.
Furthermore, city and county governments would be allowed to pass laws restricting smoking in restaurants.Committee OKs smoke-free law
Daily Press, Hampton Roads, Virginia, 3 February 2006Localities would have the power to ban smoking in restaurants under legislation that won approval Thursday in the Senate Education and Health Committee.
The bill would also expand the list of smoke-free areas to include most indoor workplaces with public access.
Sen. Brandon Bell, R-Roanoke, said the mounting evidence of the damage from secondhand smoke prompted him to introduce the bill.
Sen. Richard Saslaw, D-Fairfax, said he was not worried that a smoking ban would cause a drop in restaurant business. He said a friend who owns a restaurant chain boosted business by going smoke-free, because he attracted customers who otherwise did not go out to eat.
Because secondhand smoke increases health care costs for everyone else, he said, "Their civil rights stop at my checkbook."
Bell said it stops before that.
"It's their right to smoke as far as it intersects with my right not to smell it," he said.
The bill does not change state restrictions on restaurants. It simply gives local governments the authority to enact restaurant laws that are more stringent than state law.New Smoking Ban Proposal
WCAV-19, Charlottesville, Virginia, 3 February 2006"People who smoke, obviously they're addicted," said Ex-smoker Patrick Fogarty.
"I was addicted. I think they should have a chance to smoke as long as it's not intruding on others."
But that's exactly the problem. A lot of non-smokers feel smoking in public places is intrusive.California City Approves Outdoor Smoking Ban
Cybercast News Service, Virginia, 2 February 2006"Every court which has ever addressed the issue has held that there is no legal right to smoke, regardless of the location," said public interest law professor John Banzhaf, executive director of ASH. He cited such cases to the city council to convince them that an outdoor smoking ban was legal.
The city council agreed and voted to amend the proposed ordinance to establish a legal right of nonsmokers to be protected from secondhand smoke.
Banzhaf also noted that in at least 18 states, courts did not hesitate to ban smoking within a private car or residence where it was considered necessary to protect the health of kids, usually those involved in a divorce and custody dispute. At least four states have prohibited smoking in a private vehicle or home when foster kids are present, he said.
"If it is constitutional in all of these states for the government to prohibit smoking even within a private home, it is certainly constitutional for it to prohibit smoking outdoors on public sidewalks and streets, and on outdoor business property used at patios, lounges, parking lots, etc.," Banzhaf added.Spanish tobacco war heats; Philip Morris in the fray
WVEC-13, Norfolk, Virginia, 1 February 2006Secondhand smoke a toxic in California
PhysOrg.com, Virginia, 27 January 2006The Air Resources Board in California has designated secondhand tobacco smoke as a toxic air contaminant -- making California the first state to do so.
Spain fumes as Marlboro lowers price, defying anti-smoking campaign
WVEC-13, Norfolk, Virginia, 27 January 2006Quitting smoking just got a little bit easier
Collegiate Times, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, 17 January 2006"Quitting smoking is easy. I've done it a thousand times." - Mark Twain
Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, Virginia, 15 January 2006Rotarians Treated To Corporate Candor
Gazette Packet, Alexandria, Virginia, 12 January 2006"We make a very dangerous product. It causes a wide range of diseases, and children should definitely not smoke," said Tim Campbell, director of government affairs for Philip Morris USA.
DURING THE AUDIENCE QUESTION PERIOD Campbell was asked by Alexandria Health Director Charles Konigsberg Jr., if Philip Morris would be supportive of legislation in Virginia making non-smoking in restaurants and bars illegal statewide.
"We agree that smoking restrictions should be enforced where people assemble, particularly where children are present," Campbell said.Smoke Free VA
WSLS-10, Roanoke, Virginia, 12 January 2006Another try for smoking ban
Times Dispatch, Richmond, Virginia, 11 January 2006Opponents have argued that smoking bans hurt businesses such as nightclubs and that governments shouldn't interfere in business decisions about whether to allow smoking. Supporters have produced studies showing that smoking bans actually help all businesses in an area by attracting more non-smoking customers.
"Smokers are still going to go out where there is no choice for them to smoke," said Matt Simmons, owner of the Capital Ale House restaurants in Richmond. However, Simmons said smoking restrictions must be consistently applied to be fair. Laws that vary by locality or that allow certain exceptions can help some businesses at the expense of others.At one site, a bar in Roanoke, the air was so saturated with particles it would be considered a public-health emergency if the same pollution level occurred outdoors, Repace said.
"The waitresses in these places ought to be issued gas masks," he said. "These are not safe places to work.Having trouble breathing?
Virginian Pilot, Hampton Roads, Virginia, 11 January 2006Which is worse for your health: breathing air at a restaurant where cigarette smoking is allowed, or inhaling air from inside the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel?
On average, air quality in smoke-wafting Virginia restaurants, bowling alleys, bingo halls and pubs is five times as loaded with soot and particulate matter than what was measured in the bridge-tunnel or along Interstate 95.
The level of sooty particulates in the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel was considered moderately high. However, on average, the readings in eight of the restaurants were five times higher than those in the tunnel – and 18 times higher at one pub in Roanoke, the worst of the bunch.Spanish smoking ban goes into effect
WAVY-10, Hampton Roads, Virginia, 1 January 2006
See Tobacco.org.
WEST VIRGINIA
See Tobacco.org.
Residents urge ban on smoking
Daily Mail, Charleston, West Virginia, 31 March 2006Upshur County Looks at Stricter Smoking Ban
The State Journal, Charleston, West Virginia, 31 March 2006Putnam residents clear the air on indoor smoking
The Charleston Gazette, Charleston, West Virginia, 30 March 2006Indoor smoking ban forum tonight in Putnam
The Charleston Gazette, Charleston, West Virginia, 30 March 2006Most States Find Smoking Ban a Boon to Businesses
Huntington News, Huntington, West Virginia, 28 March 2006Putnam smoking may go on ballot
The Charleston Gazette, Charleston, West Virginia, 2 March 2006Fight to extend smoking bans must continue
Herald Dispatch, Huntington, West Virginia, 25 February 2006County Looks at Expanding Smoking Ban
The State Journal, Charleston, West Virginia, 15 February 2006
WVNS-59, Ghent, West Virginia, 15 February 2006
WTRF-7, Wheeling, West Virginia, 15 February 2006
WOWK-13, Charleston, West Virginia, 15 February 2006Every one of West Virginia's 55 counties, except Mercer and Pocahontas have some kind of smoking regulation in place. Four counties, Braxton, Tucker, Lincoln and Ohio ban smoking in all workplaces.
Harrison County wants to do the same thing.McDowell County Looking at Smoking Ban
The State Journal, Charleston, West Virginia, 31 January 2006The 100% smoke-free designation would ban smoking in enclosed public places.
That includes all workplaces, child care facilities and public vehicles. But still, there are some exceptions. Those include video lottery rooms and free-standing bars.
Supporters of the smoking ban say the health and well-being of the county is the top priority for the proposal. They also say it follows suit with the rest of the state.
Donald Reed, a tobacco prevention coordinator, says the McDowell County proposal is much like the one in Mercer County. "We have over 40 counties who have the similar regulation. McDowell county is one of only three who have the 50-50 smoking regulation it's time we come up to the state standards," Reed said.McDowell County Looking at Smoking Ban
WTRF-7, Wheeling, West Virginia, 31 January 2006McDowell County Looking at Smoking Ban
WVNS-59, Ghent, West Virginia, 31 January 2006McDowell County Looking at Smoking Ban
WOWK-13, Charleston, West Virginia, 31 January 2006McDowell County Looking at Smoking Ban
WBOY-12, Clarksburg, West Virginia, 31 January 2006Smoking ban passes in Mercer County
Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, West Virginia, 1 January 2006
See Tobacco.org.
See Tobacco.org.
| News Archives |
| NoSIR HOME |
|
Page updated March 31, 2006 |