Tobacco News

The state Court of Appeals put a damper on a Guilford County pool hall owner’s attempt to get around the state’s ban on smoking in restaurants and bars.

A three-judge panel ruled Tuesday that he failed to prove his narrow argument that he was being denied his 14th Amendment right to equal protection under the law, which allows smoking in not-for-profit clubs but not in for-profit clubs. But the panel did not rule on the larger issue of whether such a ban is constitutional.
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As you might imagine, not one City Council member asked for a closer look at Kevin Keenan’s butt collection.

The GCASA Prevention Educator brought his plastic jugs and bags to the council business meeting last night. They contained thousands of cigarette butts collected by volunteer children at four area parks: Lambert, Lyons, Falleti and Austin. Keenan used them as evidence of the smoking that goes on in the parks.

“The kids picked these up within an hour,” Keenan stressed. “If we were there longer, we’d have picked up a lot more than that.” Ream more »

It’s been a year since the statewide smoking ban took effect, and despite a backlash from some, Gov. Scott Walker said the ban is working and it’s here to stay. There’s no doubt some will continue smoking, but the ban is making many cut down on cigarettes. The pack a day habit started 40 years ago for George Smid, who said the ban is getting him to reconsider. “I would say the ban has cut down on my amount of smoking,” said Smid. “You smoke a lot less when you have to go outside than when you’re sitting in a bar stool lighting up one after another.” Read more

PMFTC Inc., a venture between Philip Morris and Fortune Tobacco, yesterday lashed out at a directive of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) banning cigarette smoking in public places beginning July 1.

PMMFTC said the ban is inconsistent with the provisions of a law which prescribed the areas where smoking is allowed. PMFTC also questioned the authority of the MMDA to issue such a regulation. Chris Nelson, managing director of PMFTC, said the MMDA needs to publish and clarify its ordinance, especially as it relates to the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003, which specifically allowed “smoking in public places” under Section 5. The section further defines what these public places are. Ream more »

Most of the Batavia City Council says to smokers: “Get your butts out of our parks.”
Rosemary Christian, however, says: “Keep your butts in one place.”

Council tonight took up the issue of smoking and drinking in public parks, and most agreed those behaviors should be banned (Councilpersons Bill Cox and Frank Ferrando were absent this evening). But Christian, an admittedly addicted smoker, disagreed with the smoking portion of the proposal. In an animated rant, she said prohibiting smoking would infringe upon her rights.
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A proposed statewide ban on smoking in bars and restaurants that died during the regular legislative session appears to be getting a second chance in the special session.
Senate Bill 28 was approved 5-4 by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on Monday. A companion bill is pending in the House.
Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, the committee chairwoman who has supported the measure, joined four Democrats in voting for the bill. The four other Republicans opposed it. Ream more »

Suggestions have been made that smoking should be completely banned in the country.

The Fiji College of General Practitioners in their recent annual conference had made this suggestion that Fiji should be declared “smoke free”.

President Dr Ram Raju said this was well supported in the conference by various stakeholders as the high rates of heart attacks and deaths related to other cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and stroke is all related to smoking. Ream more »

The KGMC students in collaboration with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Health Foundation (KPHF), organised a programme in connection with World No Tobacco Day which was celebrated all over the world on May 31. KPHF Managing Director Dr Umar Ayub attended the event as the chief guest.
Addressing the students, Dr Ayub explained the hazards of smoking. He said even though shisha smoking was banned in Sindh, people in other provinces had open access to it. Ream more »

A number of years ago, my sister spent the summer studying in Mali, West Africa.

While on a trip into the bush, she awoke early one morning to the sound of a sales pitch coming over what sounded like a public address system.

Unzipping her tent, she watched dumbfounded, as a Marlboro Adventure Team 4×4 rolled through the literal middle of nowhere as company representatives distributed free samples across territory that had not yet been annexed by the ruling party of Marlboro Country.
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Metro Vancouver will draw up new rules to restrict smoking in high-traffic areas of regional parks but it won’t force all smokers to butt out throughout parks and trails.

That’s the preliminary decision of the Metro parks committee Wednesday after Vancouver Coun. Tim Stevenson’s motion for a full ban on smoking in regional parks was defeated 7-4.

“The majority of people don’t want to be bothered walking down a trail on a beach or anywhere else in a park by second-hand smoke,” Stevenson said.
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