Tobacco.org

How did the smoking ban become law?  

Jon56 asks:

How did the English smoking ban become law? In particular, it forbids a group of adults from buying or renting an isolated building, currently a cafe, and setting up a smoking cafe, staffed by members of the group on a voluntary basis. Surely such a ban, interfering with an activity which would be legal in the home of one of the participants, contravenes the European Human Rights Act?

The smoking ban in England and Wales was introduced by the Health Act 2006. It operates by creating "smoke-free premises" in which it is an offence to smoke and the person in charge of the premises commits an offence if he or she fails to take reasonable steps to stop someone from smoking there: . . .

In light of all of that, I'm afraid jon56 will have to pursue political rather than legal avenues if he wants to open a smoking cafe in this country.

Jump to full article »

Two seek GOP nod for state Senate 21st District | MLive.com 

A carpenter who has yet to hold public office will square off with a three-term state representative for the GOP nomination for the state Senate's 21st District seat currently held by term-limited Republican Sen. Ron Jelinek.

The winner of Tuesday's Republican primary election between Todd Griffee and state Rep. John Proos will face the lone Democratic candidate, Scott Elliott, of Benton Harbor, for the four-year seat in November. . . .

Griffee, a member of the Southwest Michigan Tea Party Patriots, said the direction of Michigan's government is disturbing. . . .

Griffee, who is seeking his first elected position at any level, said his priorities are to repeal the state's business tax, streamline corrections, education and human services to help balance the state's budget, and restore personal liberties through steps such as repealing the public-smoking ban and Michigan's helmet law for motorcyclists, and making Michigan a right-to-work state.

Jump to full article »

OUR OPINION: Let voters decide smoke ban issue 

The smoking-ban issue has been messy nearly from the start, so messy that it didn’t even get on the May election ballot when it was supposed to. That’s no reason to make it even messier, though.

Mayor Alvin New has floated the idea of the City Council passing an ordinance different from the one championed by Smoke-Free San Angelo that will appear on the November ballot. He wants there to be a “middle ground” for voters to choose between. . . .

To now pass an ordinance that might undercut the group’s efforts would be unfair and would cause many San Angeloans’ trust in local government to be diminished. . . .

That idea makes even more sense now. Voters will have a clear choice in November. And the issue has been publicized and discussed so widely that the great majority of voters will clearly understand the stakes.

The council passed on its chance to impose a smoking ordinance. Now it should leave the decision to voters.

Jump to full article »

VIDEO: Greene strikes back ... quickly  

Meltdown mogul Jeff Greene returns fire at Kendrick Meek with a pair of attack ads charging corruption, including one spot claiming that Meek "pushed the subprime loans" that "wrecked our economy." (And incidentally, helped Greene make his fortune.)

Jump to full article »

VIDEO: Jeff Greene Hits Kendrick Meek in Two New Commercials 

A day after U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek ran his first commercial, attacking Jeff Greene, his leading rival for the nod, in the bitter contest for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate, the Greene campaign fired back by unleashing two commercials against Meek on Tuesday.

Greene took a page from the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), who included Meek among a list of the most crooked politicians running for office.

"CREW named career politician Kendrick Meek a ‘crooked’ candidate for giving federal taxpayer dollars to indicted developer Dennis Stackhouse, who hired Meek's mother as a consultant, gave her an Escalade, and provided money to a high-level Meek aide,” said Greene, taking off the gloves. “It's time that voters know Kendrick Meek is a crooked and corrupt Washington politician.” . . .

"Meek helped a cigar-maker lobby to block higher cigar taxes that would finance children's health care, while receiving thousands from the tobacco industry, and he opposed reducing Medicare costs while receiving more than $40,000 from Medicare suppliers," added Greene.

Jump to full article »

• Jeff Greene attacks Kendrick Meek for cigar ties 

Congressman Kendrick Meek relishes a good cigar -- Padrons are his favorite, he told Cigar Aficionado magazine in a 2008 profile. He hosts an annual cigar party and is known to hand out cigars to members of Congress and their staff, and the cigar industry has helped fund his recent campaigns, the magazine reported. Padron Cigars, a longtime family business, is headquartered in Little Havana in Miami.

Meek's U.S. Senate Democratic primary opponent, Jeff Greene, attacks Meek for his ties to the tobacco industry in a campaign flier accusing Meek of standing with special interests.

Specifically, Greene wrote in a campaign flier that hit mailboxes around July 23, 2010, that Meek was "#1 in Florida in taking tobacco cash and then opposed a tax on cigars that would have helped pay for children's health care." Greene this week introduced a new TV ad that stated "Meek lobbied for big tobacco against children's health care."

We decided to examine the campaign flier. Did Meek rake in more money from the tobacco industry than anyone else in Florida and then oppose a tax on cigars that would pay for children's health care? . . .

Meek was clearly No. 1 in tobacco donations among Florida candidates for House or Senate in his 2008 race and 2010 race and is at the top among Florida's members in the House and Senate. But Greene's flier didn't specify that the No. 1 label applied only to federal races and there is no simple way to check the tobacco dollars given to candidates across the state for various offices.

Greene also claimed that Meek "opposed" a tax on cigars that would have paid for children's health care. Meek thought that the 2007 version was too high of an increase for businesses and he scored key meetings for a cigar maker with member of Congress, but he voted for the legislation anyway -- twice that year. Meek again voted for the version that passed in 2009 when the cigar industry credited him with helping reduce the amount of their tax burden. We recognize he worked to lower the amount of the tax, but we think it's misleading to say that Meek "opposed" a tax when he voted for it three times. . . .

We considered both parts of Greene's claim and rate it Barely True.

Jump to full article »

• REGION: Bilbray defends cigar group 

A group of congressional staffer cigar enthusiasts sponsored by U.S. Rep. Brian Bilbray has been wrongly singled out as a tool for lobbyists seeking influence on Capitol Hill, Bilbray said Monday.

"We checked this week and they played by the rules," Bilbray said of the Congressional Cigar Association, which he sponsored in May 2009.

"I just hope they don't get burned on this," said Bilbray, R-Solana Beach, about congressional employees who are members of the group.

Cigars have nothing to do with his district and Bilbray said he only rarely lights up a stogie. But he said he was asked to sponsor the association because he is chairman of the House Central American Committee and he said cigars are an important industry in parts of Central America. . . .

Valle said there was nothing nefarious in the group's formation.

"A group of friends, myself included, got together because we shared the affection for smoking cigars," Valle said. She said the purpose was to share some "bipartisan camaraderie."

A cigar industry group, the International Premium Cigars & Pipe Retailers, said on its website that it hosted social events for the association at which it presented its take on such issues as the health effects of cigar and pipe smoking and the economic impact of cigar production in countries where they're produced.

Jump to full article »

California cigarette purchases decline 8.1 percent 

Californians bought 8.1 percent fewer cigarettes in 2009-10 than they did a year earlier, according to a new report Tuesday, released by Barbara Alby, acting member of the State Board of Equalization.

This is the largest decline since 1999-2000 when the decline was 11.2 percent.

Cigarette distribution peaked in 1980 and has declined 65.6 percent over the last 30 years, the report says. Since 1980-81, tax-paid cigarette distributions have declined an average of 3.5 percent per year, or a decline of an average of 59 million packs per year.

Both the percentage of smokers and the number of cigarettes smoked have declined.

The report points to health concerns, smoking restrictions and higher prices as key factors in the downward trend in tax-paid cigarette distributions.

Jump to full article »

Who's coming to the Tea Party? 

Candidates for the 105th Michigan House seat, Charlevoix Republican Tim Boyko and Kewadin Republican Greg MacMaster, talk to about 20 Petoskey Tea Party members about how the recent ban on smoking in restaurants and bars came about. Both men gave some background about how the bill made its way through the Michigan legislature.

"But, that's not the point," says Sherry Loar, a Petoskey resident. "Did anyone ever stop to think that this was unconstitutional because it takes away a person's rights?"

Jump to full article »

Prominent state lawmakers still taking money from big tobacco 

Even though many members of the the Maryland General Assembly try to raise the taxes on cigarettes and tobacco products every year, some prominent lawmakers still take contributions from the companies who make them.

According to records provided by the University of Maryland's Center for American Politics and Citizenship, powerful Democratic state Sen. Nathaniel McFadden, who represents Baltimore City's 45th District ,took $1,000 from Philip Morris USA Inc, while President of the Senate Thomas V. "Mike" Miller's campaign took $3,000.

In addition, the tobacco company also gave $3,000 to the House Democratic Committee Slate Maryland, part of which went into at least one city Democratic member's campaign chest.

See the chart below to review all of the lawmakers who recently accepted money from big tobacco:

Jump to full article »

• Rival calls for review of Bilbray cigar club  

Democratic challenger Francine Busby is calling for an investigation into a cigar club formed by Republican Congressman Brian Bilbray.

The Congressional Cigar Association, which was formed last year to “facilitate networking among Congressional staff, while appreciating fine cigars,” by House ethics rules is not supposed to have lobbyists as officers.

The association has three lobbyists on its board of directors, and the Huffington Post web site this week suggested that’s a violation of House ethics rules. Association staffers say their “officers” are all House staffers, as required, and that the lobbyists on the board are mere figureheads not involved in running the group.

Bilbray says he provided required sponsorship to form the group to facilitate bipartisan staff interaction and to encourage dialogue about Central America and its cigar manufacturing industry.

“If Bilbray is saying this is about cigars, he is blowing smoke,” Busby said. “I think it’s about giving access to lobbyists who are giving tens of thousands of dollars. This is about going to the back door.”

Jump to full article »

EDITORIAL: Banning the smoking ban in Wisconsin? 

Half-baked ideas get floated in election years all the time. The idea topping this year's list (it's still early) is repeal of Wisconsin's state smoking ban. Both Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and former congressman Mark Neumann, vying for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, say they'd sign a bill to do just that if either becomes governor.

What part of "carcinogen," "safe workplace" or "public health" don't the candidates understand? . . .

So, on the heels of the state's instituting a measure that will likely decrease the number of heart attacks and mitigate other ills associated with secondhand smoke in Wisconsin, two candidates think the ban is a bad idea. That, in itself, is a bad idea.

Jump to full article »

• One million signatures for no-smoking campaign 

More than 1.2 million signatures have been collected during a one-month No Smoking House campaign in Vietnam.

The figure was released by the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) Central Committee and the Office of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Vietnam at a meeting to sum up the campaign in Hanoi on July 22.

The No Smoking House campaign was launched on May 31 as part of activities in response to the World No Tobacco Day: ‘Tobacco and Gender’, focusing on the harmful effects of smoking on women and children.

Together with collecting signatures, the VWU Central Committee trained its staff and officers in 30 provinces and cities about the harmful effects of smoking, the smoking situation in Vietnam and the benefits of a non-smoking environment.

Jump to full article »

American Cancer Society Action Network: To reflect on successes and challenges in battle against cancer, Sen. Harkin is special guest at Iowa City reception 

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network will celebrate its successes and embrace the challenges that lie ahead in the ongoing battle against cancer during a reception Saturday night in Iowa City. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the Appropriations Panel that funds health initiatives is ACS CAN's special guest.

"We have made tremendous progress in our fight against cancer during the past several years through passage of the landmark Iowa Smokefree Air Act, increased access to the care cancer patients need, and funding for critical preventive services," said Amy Johnson Boyle, ACS CAN advocate and Event Co-chair. "Senator Harkin is a tireless advocate for Iowa families battling cancer and we were honored to have the opportunity to thank him in person."

More than 60 cancer advocates are joining Sen. Harkin, Johnson Boyle, and Event Co-chair Gary Streit in the home of Dr. and Mrs. George Weiner to consider how to capitalize on recent successes to keep progressing toward the ultimate goal of eliminating cancer.

Jump to full article »

Bilbray lauded by cigar maker  

A Florida maker of premium cigars has a message for Congress, and he believes at least one congressman is listening.

Rocky Patel, who operates a cigar brand under his own name out of Bonita Springs, Fla., said he and other cigar makers want lawmakers to understand how taxes can wipe out his industry. Cigars provide the legitimate pleasure and social experience to adults, he said, comparing the art of making cigars to winemaking.

Patel believes he has an ally in Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Solana Beach, who gave the necessary sponsorship last year for a group of Capitol Hill staffers to form the Congressional Cigar Association. The group hosted smoke-filled parties attended by lobbyists, legislators and staffers.

“The reason it was sponsored by the congressman from California is because he understands we are an industry that is being put out of existence,” Patel said. . . .

Mark Scoular of Encinitas said he didn’t understand why Bilbray is taking up the cigar issue, given the demographics of his North County district.

“We moved here from Tampa (Fla.), which was the center of cigar industry,” Scoular said. “This town has nothing to do with that industry. If you look at the people contributing to this thing, none of them have anything to do with our community.”

Jump to full article »