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On the Town: Two Omaha cigar bars ready to roll 

Sniff, sniff. Cigar smokers smell victory at hand as two new cigar bars -- Ravenite Cigar Bar & Lounge and Havana Garage -- get ready to open.

The Nebraska Liquor Control Commission recently approved rules to facilitate a new state law that exempts cigar bars from the statewide public smoking ban.

Under those rules -- which are still waiting approval from the governor and attorney general -- to become a cigar bar, businesses would have to obtain a special liquor license, install a walk-in humidor (a special room with temperature and humidity controls for storing and displaying cigars), generate at least 10 percent of their gross revenue from tobacco sales (except cigarettes), and would be prohibited from allowing cigarette smoking and selling food. (Tobacco shops also are exempt from the statewide smoking ban.)

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“The Smoke-Free Debate Is Not Over,” Waco Coalition Says  

The Smoke-Free Waco coalition vowed Wednesday to continue to fight for a comprehensive smoking ordinance after the Waco City Council Tuesday rejected an outright ban on smoking in bars, restaurants and workplaces in favor of tightening restrictions in the city’s existing ordinance.

"In voting for this weak compromise, the Waco City Council is saying that some of our citizens are more valuable and deserve more protection than others. That's not right,” said Dr. Bradford W. Holland, the coalition’s spokesman and the president-elect of the McLennan County Medical Society.

"The smoke-free debate is not over in Waco. These laws are sweeping the nation, we are lagging behind, and one day soon we will need to revisit this issue,” he said.

The new ordinance eliminates exemptions that allowed smoking in restaurants with fewer than eight employees and between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. in restaurants with fewer than 15 workers.

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• Smoking ban exemptions are now the focus of criticism 

Steve Stenger, the County Council member who insisted that any ban include a casino exemption, said he expected the council to move next year to rescind it.

"With upwards of 65 percent of the people voting in favor of the ban, I think you can see the day coming to phase out that exemption," said Stenger, D-Affton. "Tuesday showed very clearly that most people do not want to be exposed to smoke in any public place."

Stenger predicted that the County Council would take action to eliminate the exemption shortly after the ban takes effect in 2011. If it chose, the council could change the ordinance on its own without submitting it to public vote again. . . .

The city and county exemptions drew attention on many fronts Wednesday.

Those who fought the bans said the casino exemption was unconstitutional, and could be used to invalidate the entire proposition.

At O'Connell's Pub off South Kingshighway, the talk was how to measure a bar's square footage so that it would be protected by the city's five-year exemption for bars under 2,000 square feet.

And in Maplewood, a restaurant owner who opposed the ban is adamantly against exemptions.

Bill Hannegan, an activist against both smoking bans, said opponents met Wednesday with lawyers to discuss ways to overturn them. . . .

And he said his group has discussed an initiative petition to address the most restrictive provisions of the city ban. His group, Keep St. Louis Free, views the city ban as more onerous than the county ban, which has the exemption for bars that make less than 25 percent of their revenue off food.

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St. Louis smoking bans raise questions at state level  

Following adoption of smoking bans in St. Louis and St. Louis County, one Missouri legislator who has previously supported a statewide ban said he now thinks differently.

Rep. Joseph Fallert, D-Ste. Genevieve, said he thinks now might be the time for smoking bans to be local initiatives. Fallert said after his initial proposal for banning smoking in public places statewide failed he has been watching the progress of such legislation in local jurisdictions.

He originally said he thought it was important to make it a state law to allay the fear of businesses losing revenue because of patrons going to other counties or municipalities; but with the success of these bans at local levels, he said he does not see the need for a statewide ban.

"There is no reason to jump in and make a huge change when things are already headed in the right direction," Fallert said.

With the passage of Proposition N, 50 percent of Missourians are now in a smoke-free environment, St. Louis County Councilwoman Barbara Fraser said.

Proposition N prohibits smoking in certain public areas in St. Louis city and county. For example, within city limits, the law prevents smoking in bars and restaurants, but in St. Louis County, any bar that makes less than 25 percent of its revenue from food can allow smoking.

The election, which had a 20 percent voter turnout, resulted in two-thirds of voters favoring the ban. The ban will go into effect Jan. 2, 2011.

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• Anti-smoking laws being violated  

Smokers violating the law of complete ban on tobacco use at work and public places have still continued this practice in the federal capital. Citizens complained that after withdrawal of Statutory Rules and Orders (SRO), all public and work places have become smoke-free, therefore, smokers should not be allowed smoking or using tobacco in any other form in any public place.

They said individuals and offices are clearly violating the ordinance. They said complete implementation of law would help protect the health of non-smokers and make the smokers abiders of the concerned laws.

It is pertinent to mention here that earlier, all public and private offices were allowed to designate a separate place for smokers to smoke within office premises with adequate arrangements to protect the health of non-smokers.

However, such permission was being misused

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• Removal of lacunas in Anti-Smoking Ordinance urged 

Health experts believe that consumption of tobacco in Pakistan is becoming more and more alarming because its incidence is increasing among youth of Pakistan especially in schools, colleges and universities.

According to an estimate, Pakistanis smoke away Rs50 billion annually. Around 100,000 persons die every year in Pakistan due to diseases related to tobacco use. There are over 30 million smokers in Pakistan of which 37% are male while 9% female and about 1,200 youngsters take up smoking every day. Tobacco is the cause of at least 85% cases of lung cancer, cancer of mouth, throat, kidney, bladder and stroke, besides chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

Health experts say that Pakistan needs to reduce tobacco use to control non-communicable diseases and achieve the related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that can only be done by removing lacunas in current Anti-Smoking Ordinance because legislation and its implementation in true letter and spirit is the key to effective tobacco control.

"Markets like Pakistan are fair grounds for tobacco sales of big tobacco companies because of huge young and illiterate population, loose price controls, permission of sale of open or small packs of cigarettes, ignorance about toxic constituents and emissions of cigarettes and diverse health impacts; last but not the least due to lacunas in 'Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-Smokers Health Ordinance 2002'," said Head of Community Medicine at Islamabad Medical & Dental College Professor Dr Muhammad Ashraf Chaudhry while talking to 'The News' on lacunas in the ordinance.

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VOSS/SHUCART: Bowling proprietors against Proposition N  

After years of watching 37 other states enact policy on restricting smoking in public places, St. Louis County voters will decide on Nov. 3 if Proposition N should be passed to ban smoking in some public places on Jan. 1.

Opinions are strong, for and against. But voters are being asked to make a decision on a weak and confusing referendum because it doesn’t totally ban smoking. The proposal passed by the St. Louis County Council exempts casinos, bars with limited food sales and Lambert Airport.

The owners of St. Louis County’s 21 bowling centers oppose Proposition N with the opinion that if smoking is to be banned, it should be prohibited statewide in all public places.

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Mayor gets smoking, northside redevelopment bills 

Aldermen on Friday also approved a bill banning smoking in most public places in the city. Casino gaming floors are exempt, and bars of 2000 square feet or less get a five-year reprieve. It would not take effect unless St. Louis County voters approve their version on Tuesday.

The county legislation completely exempts small bars, which concerned Alderman Stephen Gregali. He supports the bill's premise,he said, but not its content.

"If we close one business because of this poorly written bill, shame on us," he said. "We should really take those things into consideration. We are going to be at such an economic disadvantage with the county because of the differences in the bill."

The American Cancer Society, and the American Heart and Lung associations are opposed to both the city and county measures because of the exemptions.

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EDITORIAL: Exemptions in Proposition N are unfair to local businesses 

On Nov. 3, St. Louis County voters will weigh in on Proposition N, which will ban smoking in enclosed public spaces, along with sidewalks and other outdoor spaces within 15 feet of the entrance to a public building. The ordinance would exempt casino gaming floors and bars that receive 25 percent or less of their gross sales from food.

We understand and support the public health initiative behind Proposition N. The risks posed by secondhand smoke are real and frightening, and we commend the measures taken by the county to alleviate unnecessary exposure to such risks.

However, we feel that the ban would be fundamentally unfair to local businesses because it discriminates between bars that serve food and those that don’t, and it favors casinos. . . .

A ban with fewer exemptions has become the norm elsewhere—in New York City and the state of California, smoking is prohibited in all public places—and we think that St. Louis should take a similar direction.

On this count, we encourage our readers to vote against Proposition N, and we encourage the County Council to go back to the drawing board, drafting a proposition that is fair to local businesses.

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• Health officials to seek smoking ban in Oklahoma 

Anti-smoking advocates called on lawmakers Thursday to make bars and restaurants in Oklahoma smoke-free by closing loopholes in the state law restricting smoking in public places.

Officials from the American Heart Association and the state Department of Health said they will support legislation next year to ban smoking in bars and restaurants, similar to a bill that died in the Oklahoma House last spring.

Oklahoma was among the first states in the nation to regulate smoking in public places in 2003. But the legislation allows smoking in separate smoking rooms in restaurants and stand-alone bars. When the bill died in the House last spring, Rep. John Trebilcock, R-Broken Arrow, chairman of the House Public Health Committee, said he was not inclined to give it a hearing because of the investment restaurants had made to comply with state smoking restrictions.

Since Oklahoma's law went into effect, 27 other states have adopted comprehensive smoke-free laws that ban smoking in public places, said Marilyn Davidson, government relations director for the American Heart Association in Oklahoma City.

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Editorial: 'Option 2' best proposition for Waco smoking ordinance  

The Waco City Council is voting on a prospective smoking ordinance on Tuesday. The council will vote on whether to add additional restrictions to the current policies or to ban smoking altogether except in private locations and retail tobacco stores. Through either method, the council hopes to lessen secondhand smoke to non-smokers.

Waco's current smoking ordinance generally forbids smoking at indoor workplaces but allows smoking in bars, small food establishments and small businesses.

While The Lariat supports council's valiant effort to reduce secondhand smoke, passing an ordinance that completely removes the ability to smoke from every place except for homes, tobacco stores and outdoor areas would be too large of a detriment for some businesses.

Those that smoke have every right to patronize the same businesses as non-smokers. Instead of banning smoking altogether, council should take a closer look at what the council is calling "Option 2," an ordinance that is less strict in that it would ban smoking in restaurants and other businesses that do not have separate ventilation for its smoking parties.

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City institutes smoking ban 

By a split vote of 5-2, the Palestine City Council approved an ordinance Monday night which will essentially ban smoking in public places.

Private clubs, bars and bingo halls are exempt from the ordinance which is largely patterned after ones already in place in Tyler and College Station.

Mayor Bob Herrington and council members Andrea Baird, Vernon Denmon Jr., Kathi Masonheimer and Steve Presley voted for the stricter ordinance, while council members Vickey Chivers and Jim Yelverton cast the dissenting votes.

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• Palestine City Council OKs Smoking Ban  

Smoking in public places, places of employment and some outdoor areas will be prohibited here under an ordinance adopted Monday by Palestine City Council. Bars, nightclubs and some other places are exempted from the smoking ban.

The ordinance further makes it unlawful to smoke within 20 feet of outside entrances, operable windows and ventilation systems of enclosed areas where smoking is prohibited.

In an unrelated action, the council extended hours for the sale of mixed beverages to 2 a.m.

The nonsmoking order, passed by a majority of councilmembers with two nay votes, makes employers responsible for providing a smoke-free workplace for employees.

It charges the owner, manager or other persons in control of a public place or a place of employment to post "No Smoking" signs conspicuously at the entrance.

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CHURCHWELL: State smoking ban must go further 

As a cardiologist, I've seen firsthand the damage that smoking does to the body. Most patients I have taken care of who have had a heart attack or developed an acute coronary syndrome have a history of smoking or have been in an environment where secondhand smoke is a major issue in their lives. . . .

A study released by the Institute of Medicine earlier this month revealed that smoking bans in public places are effective at reducing the risk of heart attacks associated with exposure to secondhand smoke. . . .

Tennesseans should take this news as a call to action and demand that exemptions to the Non-smoker Protection Act be removed. The societal and financial costs to all of us are too great to continue to ignore. You can get involved and help make Tennessee a healthier place to live and work. CHART, the Campaign for a Healthy and Responsible Tennessee, is building its coalition of supporters to make all Tennessee workplaces smoke-free.

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'Private club' narrowly defined in smoking ban 

Some bar owners and managers across North Carolina think they have found an escape clause in the state's new smoking ban.

State officials are about to snuff out those plans.

Ann Houston Staples, the Charlotte-based communications director for the state's anti-smoking efforts, said health officials are encountering bar operators who think that, as a private club or by becoming a private club, they can still let customers smoke.

"I'm getting spooked, because everybody I talk to said the place they go to is going to become a private club," said Staples, director of public education and communication for the Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Staples is part of a team assembling an information packet that will go out in the coming weeks to businesses affected by the ban, including bars. The mailing will include a letter that explains the law and offers other material, such as free "No Smoking" signs.

The ban on smoking in bars and restaurants that the legislature passed this year takes effect Jan. 2 and does include an exemption for private clubs, but it defines them as country clubs or nonprofits, such as an Elks Lodge.

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