Tobacco.org

MAKHIJANI: Health conscious America junks smoking, embraces fast food 

This is one of the many contradictions of American society: smoking is banned on health grounds in most public places - but not in the outdoors - while no steps are considered necessary to check the burgeoning consumption of junk food that is definitely considered a health hazard.

Thus, you have a situation in which smoking is banned in government offices, restaurants and even hotel rooms - but not in the areas surrounding these places.

So much so that a stern warning, very carefully worded, greets visitors to a swanky beach resort and spa an hours' drive from here.

"Enjoy your non-smoking room", reads the notice in bold capitals, adding: "A $250 cleaning fee will be charged for smoking in this room".

The ban also extends to the various restaurants and party rooms of the hotel.

At the same time, ashtrays are liberally provided in various other parts of the hotel - but outside the building complex. . . .

Wasn't this policy self-defeating in that it was not only failing to prevent people from smoking but also contributing to the pollution of the atmosphere at large?

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Smoking is out at Hotel Providence ($$) 

The Hotel Providence this month became the latest to follow the industry trend to ban smoking in guest rooms. For the boutique hotel, it was a decision based on demand and the well-being of guests [..]

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• How to Find Smoke-Free Hotel Rooms Worldwide 

Finding European and Asian hotels that restrict, or even ban, smoking is easier than ever before for travelers willing to put in the time to research their options. Usually, that boils down to spending some time on the Internet, surfing the Web sites of tourist boards, hotel chains, online outlets like Hotels.com, Expedia and Freshstay.com, and checking out the hotels section of sites such as Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights .

As always with the Web, there is plenty of information out there, but reading the fine print is essential.

Details and nuances of smoking policies can differ widely

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Kanagawa eyes ordinance on total smoking ban in public areas ($$) 

Kanagawa Gov. Shigefumi Matsuzawa said Tuesday the prefecture has compiled a basic plan for an ordinance to ban smoking in hotels, restaurants and other public places in the prefecture in a bid to prevent passive smoking.

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Smoking bans hurt country venues  

The introduction of tougher smoking bans for South Australia hotels nearly six months ago has deeply affected many country venues, with figures suggesting that revenue has declined about 40 per cent for some.

SA president of the Australian Hotels Association, Ian Horne, says gaming revenue across the state is down about 10 per cent.

"Many country hotels are suffering much more than their city counterparts," Mr Horne said.

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Hotels adopt voluntary smoking bans in rooms 

First, hotels asked people to choose between smoking and non-smoking. Now, some are making the choice for their guests -- telling them smoking is no longer allowed.

As the City of Airdrie looks at eliminating designated smoking rooms, many Calgary hotels have made the switch already, even though they're not required to.

The province's Tobacco Reduction Act, in effect since Jan. 1, bans smoking in public places. However, it does not apply to hotel and motel rooms.

Canmore was the first Alberta municipality to prohibit smoking in hotel rooms. Airdrie looks like it might be the second.

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Modified smoke ban still unacceptable to biz organizations  

Amendments made to a key "public nuisance" provision of the city's anti-smoking ordinance - approved at Tuesday's city council meeting - at a March 25 meeting may have been intended to assuage local business organizations' concerns about a possible rise in civil suits against Novato business owners. But the changes, which were intended to limit the smelly habit's legal definition as a "nuisance" to its intrusion into residencies, such as condos and apartments, failed win over two of its chief critics.

The Novato Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Novato Business Association, both of which previously sent representatives to the March 25 meeting to request the city scrap the potentially litigious nuisance provision, continued to oppose it after the changes, while maintaining support for other aspects of the ordinance, which bans where cigarettes can be smoked and deposited from virtually any public place.

"I'm afraid the DNBA is still concerned it could be too broadly interpreted," said Denise Athas, president of the DNBA.

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Smoking bylaw is amended 

After a proposed amendment to the smoking bylaw was met with no opposition, Airdrie is now the second municipality in the province to ban occupants from lighting up in hotels and motels around the city.

City council members unanimously passed three readings to the bylaw, after an uneventful public hearing provided no negative feedback at council’s regular meeting Monday night. Canmore was the first Alberta municipality to go smoke-free in its hotel and motel industry.

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EDITORIAL: Passive smoking a bigger hazard 

A new legislation of the Delhi government aims at preventing people from the impacts of passive smoking, but in reality, it seems to target educated city dwellers.

For most residents in Delhi, the concept of 'passive smoking' itself is alien.

''What do we have to do with others, once you catch a habit you catch it,'' says Lakkha, a smoker.

The new law allows smoking only at hotels, 30-seater restaurants and airports, and not regular hangouts, which are meant for the less privileged.

People who do have access to these enclaves find the ban intrusive. . . .

The only way to prevent people from smoking their lives away is through aggressive awareness. While many may argue that such a ban limits one's freedom of choice and expression, but whatever the argument be, we cannot lose a generation to smoking.

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• Beijing to ban smoking in public places from May 

The Chinese capital will ban smoking in most public places starting from May 1 -- a big step toward tobacco control in a nation of 350 million smokers.

The move will also meet China's pledge of a smoke-free Olympics.

More than 150 Chinese cities already have limited restrictions in place, but the capital will be the first to ban smoking in all restaurants, offices and schools, English-language China Daily reported Monday. . . .

The new rules, which were announced on Saturday, expand the scope to include restaurants, bars, Internet cafes, hotels, offices, holiday resorts and all indoor areas of medical facilities.

Hotels must also have rooms for non-smokers, but the ratio is still being discussed, said Cui Xiaobo, a renowned tobacco control expert who helped draft the new rule.

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HANMI favors non-smoking bill 

The Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands has thrown its weight behind a bill that seeks to outlaw smoking in restaurants, bars, and workplaces in the Northern Marianas.

In an interview Friday following the Saipan Chamber of Commerce monthly meeting, HANMI chair Lynn A. Knight said the organization has voted to endorse House Bill 16-47 sponsored by Rep. Justo S. Quitugua.

"Everybody who responded to the survey said they are supporting the bill; nobody said they are against it. We didn't have a 100-percent response rate, though, but 100 percent of the people that answered supported it. And a number of them said they are already doing it on their own," Knight said in an interview with the Saipan Tribune.

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Hotel Managers Have Mixed Feelings About Smoking Ban 

Hotel managers have mixed feelings about the city-wide smoking ban that takes effect on June 1.

Some are saying the ban will hurt business since it eliminates the designation of smoking rooms. Come June 1, all hotel rooms will be non-smoking.

Others think the ban won't affect their businesses at all.

Brian McCalla is a sales representative for the Marriott hotel chain, and his company voluntarily went smoke-free three years ago.

"For our hotel, we've had a positive response," he said.

McCalla said the decision was customer-driven.

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City considers smoking bylaw amendment 

The City of Airdrie is considering a new provision in the smoking bylaw that would prohibit lighting up in hotels and motels around Airdrie. If implemented, Airdrie would be only the second community in Alberta to ban smoking in hotels and motels. Canmore is the only municipality to have the regulation in place. City council was presented information on the possible bylaw amendment at the March 17 meeting, after an employee in the hotel/motel industry appeared before council in February to express concerns over employees in hotels/motels being subjected to secondhand smoke.

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Smoking ban not clouding up Houston hotel business, poll says 

Six months after the imposition of a city-wide smoking ban in enclosed public places, the Bayou City's hotel business is still booming, according to a poll taken by the Hotel and Lodging Association of Greater Houston.

The association found that the ordinance, which was passed in October 2006 and went into effect Sept. 1, 2007, has had almost no affect on profits or customer relations in the lodging industry.

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Grenada's Spice Island Resort Set to Ban Smoking 

Grenada's Spice Island Beach Resort will become a completely non-smoking resort effective Dec. 15. Currently, all 64 accommodations are non-smoking, so this new move by the end of the year will additionally encompass all patios/balconies, the pool areas (the main pool and the private pools), the restaurant, bar, and all indoor/outdoor facilities.

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